


Kidge-a-Palooza

by Some_Cookie_Crumbz



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: A few of these will have fore/ sensitive themes, F/M, There will be warning notes at the start of those chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-18 22:28:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 30
Words: 68,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20320537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Some_Cookie_Crumbz/pseuds/Some_Cookie_Crumbz
Summary: Cross-posted from my Tumblr. Collection of fics I wrote for Kidge-a-Palooza/ Month of Kidge event that I hosted over on Tumblr.





	1. Duck, Duck, Goose

All his years had done nothing to ease Keith’s discomfort with big get-togethers. Admittedly, he hadn’t had to worry too much about it in recent years. His work with the Blade rarely ever called upon him attending large, extravagant parties. The most he did were peace dinners and conferences and the like, which were always geared towards resolving volatile situations and easy to manage. He went in with an end goal in mind and he implemented strategies he’d learned over the years to try and achieve the ends he desired. In regards to his personal life, there were parties, sure, but they were much more family celebrations. He enjoyed those because he was comfortable with the people there, being surrounded by people he loved and who understood him.

Big things like this, though? Not really his thing.

He stole a quick glance at the array of wrapped and bagged gifts, all decorated in pastel colors or prints with baby animals on them. He only knew a handful of the people present because most of them were friends of Colleen and Sam’s, with a small sprinkling of Garrison officers whose name he couldn’t be bothered to remember. The others were there, too, but the only people he could really see were Shay, Allura and his Mom. Shiro, Hunk, Lance and Coran, from what he’d seen, were getting a similar treatment of being shooed away from the center of excitement. He’d had that happen to him more times than he could count in the last hour and a half, which was more than a little frustrating. There would be points of loud, ecstatic squeals from the congregation of women but when he tried to see what was happening, he’d get pushed aside or, typically by the much older women in the group, told “It’s women’s business”.

After the seventh time, he plucked a can of pop from the little cooler by the food table and slipped outside. There was just a slight nip in the air as autumn started to settle in, the leaves of the nearby trees already changed to orange, yellow and brown hues, clinging to their branches with the last bits of energy they had. The smell of the leaves and change felt relaxing as he settled into one of the plush loungers couch on the patio. He popped the can open and took a sip, staring out at the well-tended yard and just enjoying the peace and quiet for a moment.

He perked up at the click of the sliding glass door being pushed open, offering up a smile when he saw it was just Pidge. “You alone out here?” She asked, still taking the time to poke her head out a little bit and scan the area.

“Yeah. Sure you can sneak away, though? I mean, you two are the lives of the party,” He teased, gesturing back inside with a tip of his soda can.

She groaned and walked out, shutting the door with the utmost delicacy. He shifted a bit in his seat, preparing to get up and help her as she shuffled her way over to join him. “Ugh, don’t remind me!” She lamented, prodding his side with one finger and scooting a bit closer.

He chuckled and shook his head, lifting his arm regardless and letting her snuggle up into his side. “You were so on board with this earlier,” He teased as he let his arm drop around her shoulders.

She flashed him an unamused look. “I was on board when I thought it was about getting free food and free shit; not when it was about people invading my personal space like I’m a petting zoo animal or something,”

He took a small sip of his soda before setting it on the little side table. “Huh, they’ve been taking the opposite approach with me; been shuffling me out every chance they get. Then again, they’ve been doing that to every guy, so maybe that’s it,” He commented. He tried to not take offense, but it did bother him that he kept getting pushed out. And hearing that his wife wasn’t exactly having the time of her life only amped up his anxiety about everything. "Everyone’s been way too far up in your personal space, though?“

”_Yes_,“ She groaned before holding one hand up, squishing her fingers together so close there was almost no space between them, "and I’m _this_ close to stabbing someone with a spork if they don’t knock it off.”

He scowled. “I’m pretty sure that would go against the doctor’s orders to avoid any strenuous physical activity,”

“Pssh, no,” She said with a small roll of her eyes.

“I think you’re underestimating the amount of force you’d need to do any real damage with a plastic fork,”

“Well, I think _you’re_ underestimating my ability when pushed to my limit,“ She retorted. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way, pal.”

"Have they been that aggressive? Do you want me to go set them straight?” He offered, glancing down at her and then peering over his shoulder. The crowd had moved towards the present table, most like debating whose gift would be opened when, and a small part of him was glad that they seemed oblivious to Pidge slipping away.

“It’s less that they’re aggressive and more that I don’t know everyone and they’re just kinda… Coming right over and touching all up on this,” She said with a frustrated huff, indicating her swollen belly with a wave of her hand. She shifted to press a little bit closer to him, letting her head drop against his chest and eyes close. “And it’s not like I don’t get it, because I do. They’re excited because this is why they’re here and they want to see if they can get a feel. And I wouldn’t necessarily mind if they just _asked_ me first. Or, you know, _listened_ when I told them she doesn’t like moving for just anyone, and moving your hand around my belly like a _bloody crystal ball _isn’t gonna change that.”

He laughed and shook his head. “She’s a picky little stinker already,”

“More like she’s Daddy’s little princess already!” She laughed, poking him in the chest to drive the point home.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. “I think it’s more that she’s indecisive; never knows when she wants to be the center of attention. I mean, she can’t pick favorites when she’s still baking,”

She looked up at him with a raised brow of her own. "Can’t she, though?” She said before letting her head drop again, raising one arm to point at the crowd through the sliding glass door. “All those other people were poking and rubbing and patting my belly and she doesn’t do a thing! She doesn’t turn, she doesn’t kick, _nothing_! The minute I came out here and started to talk with _you_, though? _Now_ she’s kicking around like I chugged two cups of coffee!”

“Really?” He asked skeptically.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his other hand, placing it against the left side of her stomach, and waiting. Under his hand he could feel the distinct shape of a little foot under his palm. “You feel that? That is _all_ for _you_. She wouldn’t kick for me, Mom, Dad, Krolia, _nobody else_! She’s gonna be your little shadow once she comes out, I just know it,” She hummed softly. There was a halt in movement under his hands.

“She really didn’t kick at all before?” He asked, words trailing a bit when the kicking started back up the minute he spoke.

“What did I just say?” She sang, tone filled with self-satisfaction.

Keith chuckled a bit, gently moving his hand in soothing circles where the baby had been kicking. “She’s really having a blast kicking you right now, isn’t she?”

“I swear she’s going in timeout _the minute_ she’s born. We do _not _hit in this family,” She said, plastering on a fake scowl and no-nonsense tone.

“You can’t punish an infant for what they do in the womb,” He laughed.

“_Fine_,” She said with an exaggerated sigh. She then gave her belly a small pat on the other side. “You hear that, missy? Daddy bailed you out of a hard sentence.”

“Maybe she already knows I’m the reasonable one,”

“First, say that lie again and I’ll make sure Baby Girl here learns all about your time with the Garrison. And the Red Lion. And the Blades. And your first year and a half with Black Lion. Second,” She trailed, holding up a finger for each point, “it’s more likely she can smell that you’re going to be soft on her.”

He choked on another laugh. “I don’t think she can smell much of anything, so probably not,”

“Oh, you say that now, but once she’s here? She’s gonna have you wrapped around every single one of her chubby little fingers; betting you 20 buckaroos on it,” She said, closing her eyes again and relaxing a bit more.

And, a few weeks later, when little Amber Rose Kogane was there, in his arms, he resigned himself to shelling out a cool 20 to his wife.


	2. Boot, Scoot and Boogie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To try and increase her Charm skill, Pidge seeks out the help of a self-professed “Lover Boy”. His help ends up being a bit better than she had expected.

Lance took a deep breath, hands pressed together and eyes closed in thought, before peeking one eye to stare at the small, sandy haired girl before him. He then brought his hands down slowly and bopped them in the air lightly. “Okay, run this by me _one more time_. You want me to do _what now_?” He asked, opening both eyes wide enough that he was glowering at her suspiciously.

Meanwhile, Pidge shifted uncomfortable under his weary gaze. “You’re really gonna make me ask _again_?”

“Yes. Because this is just… You _have_ to be messing with me. You’re trying to pull a prank on me, or I’ve fallen through a wormhole to an alternate reality, or-!” He prattled on, holding one hand up to start ticking off his fingers with each alternate explanation he had in his mind.

“Or I _genuinely_ need help with this and _you’re _the only person on the ship that knows how to waltz properly,” She interrupted, a bit of a pink tint starting to come to her ears and cheeks.

He had to pause, finding that reaction to be rather interested. “… Kay. Sounds fake, but kay,”

“Look, if you’re gonna be like _this_, just _forget_ it! I’ll find, like, a YouTube tutorial or something!” She snapped, throwing her hands up and turning to storm away.

“No, wait, hold up!” He called, floundering after her and gripping her wrist. She glared at him over her shoulder so he let go of her wrist, holding his hands up defensively. “Sorry, just needed you to give me a second, okay? Why do you want me to teach you? Give me the reason why - and I mean the _real _reason - and _maybe_ I’ll help.”

She turned to face him fully, setting one hand on her hip. “Because I’ve never been taught how to before?” She huffed, sounding as if it should be obvious. When he only answered by crossing his arms a well-timed rise of a brow, she let her hand drop and her gaze flicker down to her boots. “Okay, fine. It’s because… I want to ask Keith to dance at the celebratory gala.”

“But you’ve danced with Keith before and never had an issue, haven’t you?” He asked, cocking his head. Pidge’s little crush on Keith wasn’t hard to figure out; especially for someone as emotionally inclined as Lance. To him, it made sense that at such a large event she’d have a desire to stake her claim. And considering what they’d heard about Acxa, who would be attending, and her feelings for Keith? Something would need to be done before the ex-general could make a move. But, then again, he swore he’d seen her approach him before at celebrations when they’d liberated planets before. So shouldn’t her interest have been made known already?

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Jokes on you; there has _always _been an issue. A _me_ issue. Regarding my inability to not step on people’s feet. Which is probably why he always turns me down whenever I ask him,“ She said, voice going softer in disappointment.

"Oh,” He said lamely.

“Yeah, oh. And I’m tired of it! I want to be able to dance with him without making an ass of myself!”

“Well, you’ve come to the right man,” He said, tossing an arm over her shoulder and pulling her closer. “I’m one of the best dancers the Garrison. Teaching you will be a piece of cake.”

“You’re sure about that?” She asked skeptically.

He chuckled and nodded, pointing at himself with a jerk of his thumb. “I haven’t met a single person I couldn’t teach. Give me, like, two weeks and you’ll be taking the floor like a champ!”

“Considering two weeks is all we have, I certainly hope so,” She grumbled to herself.

In the end, Lance’s certainty proved to be less of a help than they’d thought.

The first day had been a struggle, but Lance figured that made sense. After all, Pidge hadn’t ever been properly taught how to waltz. Day Two would go much better and iron out some of the growing pains they’d had in the start, he was sure! Instead, however, it went just as bad as the first. By the end of the session, his feet had been stepped on so many times he couldn’t feel his left pinkie toe. He iced it that night and swore he was going to make sure things went better the next day. After all, it could just be nerves on Pidge’s part, right? Surely after two days of trying, she’d have calmed down with her new trainer and things could progress more easily.

Except that it didn’t. Not on the third day, nor the fourth. And then, the fifth day, he was starting to get a little frustrated by their lack of progress.

He breathed in deep and loud through his nose, closing his eyes and tilting his head back. “_Okay_, that was a… Good effort. Now let’s try it with a little bit _less _of the Stabbing-Lance’s-Toes bit,” He drawled, unable to keep his tone from getting a touch sarcastic.

Pidge’s eyes widened with hurt for a moment before narrowing into a scalding glare. “Forget it!” She snapped, tearing away from him and starting to leave.

Lance muttered a swear under his breath and chased after her. “Wait, Pidge, I’m sorry! I was just joking with you!” He sputtered as he darted in front of her, holding her hands up to halt her. She skid to a stop, looking ready to charge past him, but he swiped her water bottle off the nearby table and held it out to her. “Here, have some water and sit for a minute. We’ll try again after a little rest.”

“What’s the _point_, Lance? The week’s almost over and I’m not any better at this. Do you really think I’ll be able to get this right with what little time we have left?”

“Well not with that attitude, you won’t,” He said evenly. She glared again before moving to walk around him, but he was fast to slide along and cut her off again. “Pidge, seriously. Just sit and hear me out for a couple minutes, will ya?”

She stared him down for a moment before swiping her water bottle from him, taking a swig, and nodding her head at him. “You’ve got three,”

“That’s more than enough,” He said before nodding his head back over to the table. She settled in at one seat and he settled in across from her. “Look, I get it. Learning new things and not being good at them right away can be frustrating. If anyone gets what failing feels like, I’m _kinda _the expert around here, ya know? But you don’t give up. You keep pushing and you tell yourself ‘You got this’ and if you mess up, you take that and you learn from it. And then you don’t typically make the same mistake! And then, as long as you keep trying, you’ll get it!” He reassured, offering her a small smile.

“I guess you’re right,” She mumbled, hands playing with her water bottle as she slumped back against her chair, “but it just feels hopeless right now.”

“Well, maybe this means we need to have a change of tactics,” He said while pushing himself back out of the chair.

She set her water bottle down and looked up at him. “What does that mean?”

“Allow me to show you, dear Pidgeon,” He said playfully, offering her his hand.

…………………………………………………………….

Despite resources being limited, the Garrison had still done their best to set up a flashy arrangement. It was a suit-and-tie kind of event, as best as they could. It was mostly just dress shirts, vests, black slacks and prom-style dresses, but it was still nice. The aliens that had started to crop up to help with the rebuilding of the planet had also helped to make sure that the whole place was decorated to match the theme they were going for.

It was the perfect event for espionage.

“Okay, I have the target locked in my sights; he’s loitering over by the refreshment stand like a wet noodle,” Lance said, one eye closed as he scooped out the area, keying in on the subject in question, as well as another figure chatting with them.

“Is the subject alone?” Pidge asked beside him.

He lifted one hand and made a motion towards the two figures to the third member of their recon squad. He caught a quick salute in response to his own gesture and felt a satisfied smirk turn up on his lips. “No, but we have Sunshine Daffodil on it,” He said proudly. He watched as the final member of their team chatted up the individual with their target, implementing some kind of brilliant plan to coerce them away. “_And_, the target has been isolated! Remember your training protocol, Grinning Gremlin, and you’ll complete this mission flawlessly.”

She saluted him back as she started to walk away. “Thank you, Baby Shark. I’m going in,”

“Excel- _Wait a minute_! That wasn’t the code name I picked! Get back here, _you cheeky little_-!” He tried to call after her.

Instead, however, she merely scampered her way over to their team leader. “Hey, Keith!" 

He perked up. "Hmm? Oh, hey, Pidge,” He said, smiling and then glancing up and down at her. He chuckled a bit and nodded his head at her outfit. “I see you opted out of the dress option.”

“Oh, yeah. I just thought that… Well, you know,” She said with a giggle, looking down at the green vest and black dress shirt she’d opted in to.

“The suit would be more functional?” He prompted.

“Exactly! Just in case, you know, something happened,” She said with a little shrug.

He chuckled and shook his head. “I really doubt anything will happen. Sendak’s long gone and the Galra that followed him have fallen apart without a proper leader. You shouldn’t worry so much about something happening and try to relax a little bit,”

She reached over and pressed her hand to his forehead. “Are you sick or something? I mean, _Keith Kogane_, talking about _relaxing_?”

“Call it an awakening, if you want,” He chuckled, gently pressing her hand away from him. He glanced back out at the crowd all around them, smile faltering slightly. “Still not a big fan of stuff like this myself, though.”

“No fond memories of your Sadie Hawkins dance?” She asked with a teasing jab into his side.

He chuckled. “I think in order to have fond memories of an event, you need to actually attend it, right?“

"You mean to tell me that nobody asked you?” She asked suspiciously. She found that hard to believe. Even Keith as he used to be - moody and edgy and prickly - would have appealed to his dewy-eyed peers.

He rubbed at the back of his neck shyly, a tick she’d noticed he’d picked up from Hunk. “Some asked, but after I never said yes to anyone, everyone that wanted to decided to stop wasting their time,”

Well, now I’m a little less offended that you’ve always turned me down,“ She commented, being careful to hedge any passive aggression from her tone. He flinched a little bit at her words, though, which left her a little worried. “Were you just not interested in them or…?”

“No, I just… Had other reasons,” He said, speaking too fast at first before trailing off uneasily.

“Such as?” She pressed, leaning over a bit to try and get a look at his face.

He turned away, a faint blush on his cheeks and his eyes fixed across the room. “I really don’t want to say,”

“Aw, come on! It’s just little ole’ me you’re telling,” She said with a playful grin. She then jerked her head over to where they could see Lance, chatting it up with Allura and Romelle. “And if it makes you feel better, I promise not to tell Lance; even if he offers me a sick bribe for those juicy deets.”

“Good to know you’re so easily bought,” He quipped sarcastically, casting her with a sideways glance. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, though, which gave her confidence a little boost

“What can I say? It’s a dog eat dog world,” She mused before gently poking his shoulder. “Now spill the beans, Kogane.”

He sighed, dipping his head and stuffing his hands in the pockets of his slacks. “Fine. The truth is.. Well,” He said, gaze shifting between her and the crowd on the dance floor uneasily, “I can’t dance.”

She could practically hear the squeal of tires in her mind at his words, her train of thought completely derailing at such an unexpected omission. “Wait, what?”

He rubbed his neck again and sighed loudly, tapping the heel of one foot against the tile as well. “Yeah. It’s kind of embarrassing since, you know, everyone else kinda knows how to,” He said, indicating the dance floor. Coran could be seen trying to show Griffin and Kinkade some strange, traditional Altean dance that reminded her a lot of polka, the young young humans completely befuddled. Shiro was slowly swaying on the floor with another member of the Atlus crew, the two moving in a little circle and chatting quietly between themselves. Lance had coaxed Allura out on to the floor, both of them laughing as he twirled her, while Hunk was helping show Shay the steps along the outskirts of the dance floor. “Pops never saw a point in putting me in dance classes since I wasn’t really interested. And when the school I went to held that class, I usually cut to go sit on the roof and think. Have some time away from all the other kids, since I thought they were kind of annoying. Then again, they probably thought the same about me, so it’s kinda fair.”

She stared at him for a moment before looking back out at the crowd, a small part of her feeling incredibly amused. She could tell by how he was acting that he was being genuine, but something about it felt like comedic irony. She had just spent two weeks of her life, frantically trying to learn how to dance because she thought that was what was preventing her from getting him to take the floor with her. To find out that it wasn’t because he’d heard what a bad partner she was, but more because he himself wasn’t the best at cutting a rug?

She squared her shoulders and looked up at him, eyes gleaming with determination. She held one hand out towards him. “Come on,”

He looked down at her in surprise, eyes flittering from her hand to her face, clearly confused by her sudden burst. “Huh?”

She nudged her hand closer to him and then indicated the dance floor with a jerk of her head. “Come out and dance with me,”

“Pidge, that’s a really bad idea,” He said uneasily, holding his hands up defensively.

Instead of listening to him, though, she grabbed his hand and started dragging him along. “No, it’s not. Come on,” She said seriously.

“Wait, Pidge!” He sputtered frantically, tripping over his feet behind her. How was it such a small thing could drag him around like a stuffed toy on a playground?

“Just relax and follow my lead and it’ll all be fine, okay?” She skid to a stop in the center of the floor, turning around to face him. She took his hand in her own before placing his other hand on her hip and settling hers on his shoulder. It took a moment, but soon enough she had him following her steps. At first, it was a little awkward and they needed a bit more space from the other dancers, but after the first song, he seemed to pick up on her rhythm. She preened up at him as the next song started up. “See? I told you it’d be fine.”

“Oh, wow. You’re really-! Oh, shit, sorry!” He said, starting out with a small laugh, and then cutting himself off when he stepped on her toes, moving his foot forward when he should have gone back.

She took in a deep breath, forcing herself to swallow down the pain and stay calm. “I-It’s fine. I did the same thing to Lance all last week,”

He hesitated in his next step, but caught back up relatively quickly. “Wait, what?”

“This is gonna sound really silly,” She said, it being her turn to laugh and avert her eyes nervously, “but… I thought the reason you never wanted to dance with me was because you heard about how I had a lead foot that tended to crush my partner’s toes. So, I asked Lance to teach me how to waltz properly, so that I could ask you without the risk of injury.” She looked back at him and offered a small, shy smile at his stunned look. “It worked out, though. Turns out my problem was that I was always trying to lead, even though I didn’t know how to. Once he figured that out, teaching me got way more streamlined.”

“It took him a whole week to figure that out?” He asked in slight surprise.

“He said he figured it out after the second day, but that he thought he could work around it. Evidently, he could when we implemented a chance of tactics!” She explained happily.

“Wow. Guess I need to give him a little more credit,” He said with a small nod.

Pidge’s grin turned more mischievous. “Maybe we’ll have to set you up for Lover Boy Lance’s Dance course next,” SHe teased

The look he gave her screamed murder and only dragged a peal of laughter out of her. “I’ll step on your toes on purpose if you keep that up. And I’m significantly bigger than you are, so it’d probably do way more damage than your baby bird feet,” He threatened with a scowl. There was a spark of mirth in his violet eyes, however, that ruined the attempted intimidation.

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” She hummed, making a grand show of twirling and then dipping him. She gave him a wink as he stared up at her, brimming with pride as color flooded his cheeks.


	3. Loves Me, Loves Me Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanahaki Disease!AU in which Keith thinks his affections for Pidge are unrequited due to interactions between she and a certain ace MFE Pilot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Minor Medical Squick, Gore, Blood, Buckets of Angst.

For all his life, he’d never thought he’d find himself in a situation like the one laid before him. They warned about it in all his health classes, sure, but he’d never really been interested in any of his peers like that, so it became something he shrugged off. He listened and answered the silly little tests flawlessly, but he continued to just coast by. No one would ever be able to keep him enthralled the way that starlight and constellations did, he told himself. No one else would be able to send his heart racing the same way zipping through cybernetic asteroid belts in flight simulations did. No one else would make him feel so awake and alive and completely, irrevocably comfortable in who he was.

Or, rather, that was what he thought when he was young and naive.

Never before had somebody swept into his world and left him as breathless and stunned as Pidge Gunderson did. There was something about what a fiery, determined little spitfire that called to him, as if they were cut from the same cloth. He could go and settle in with her while she worked on a project and enjoy the silence. He could talk to her and gush about this or that model Garrison fighter jet from years of old. She had taught herself how to build incredibly complex, innovative technology using alien parts that no Earthling had ever seen before. She was so smart, and talented, and witty and just unabashedly herself that he couldn’t help himself.

He had no idea that she would end up being his downfall until the crumbling of his towers began.

It started out as feeling a little too warm when he shouldn’t have. When he started sweating more during his basic training sessions, he figured it was more about how his training had taken a back seat during his time recovering from Sendak’s attack. The conference room, however, was normally kept at a temperature so low it was asinine and their Garrison-issued blazers were a must. But in the last few briefings, he’d found himself feeling a bit on the stuffy side. He would have to leave the collar unbuttoned and exposed to allow him some more cool air, but it didn’t help as much as he would have liked.

As they were leaving their latest update on the movements of the Coalition members, Krolia caught his shoulder and turned him to face her. Just behind her, he could see Shiro standing by, concern etched into both their features.“Keith? Is something wrong?”

"I’m fine,” He said, rolling his shoulder in hopes of dislodging her grip.

“Are you sure?” Shiro chimed in, stepping forward. Before he could step aside, the other man pressed one hand against his forehead before sucking in a breath. “You’re burning up.”

He swatted his hand away and let out a small huff, plastering on a half smile. “You’re freaking out over nothing. I’ve always run higher than normal temperatures. It’s part of being half Galra,” He pointed out.

Krolia pressed her hand where Shiro’s had been. Her eyes widened, moving from her hand to meet his in wide eyes. “No, Shiro’s right. Even by halfling temperatures, you are far too warm,”

He sighed. “It’s probably just a cold or something. I’ll take some Tylenol and take it a little easier. It’s not a big deal,”

As he turned and walked away, he couldn’t shake the uncertain looks the older two exchanged with each other as he left.

He thought that things would get better if he just ignored everything. He convinced himself that he was just coming down with something. There were a lot of people on the ship and with how stressed he’d been, the idea that he caught a little something along the way seemed plausible. But deep inside, a part of him knew exactly what kind of warning flag the fever was. Especially as, over the next few weeks, his nerves continued to be grated by the lingering sign of everything he wasn’t.

James Griffin, talented up-and-coming MFE pilot, boy scout and natural leader who had everything Keith did, and so much more.

James, unlike Keith, was good about getting along somewhat well even with people he wasn’t always on the best of terms with. He was cool, calm and collected with his position over the other MFEs where Keith, though a bit more composed, still struggled with working with the other Paladins. His frustration with Griffin only escalated when the other was found hovering outside of the hanger after Voltron training, keeping an eye out for a specific Paladin. As soon as Pidge was out, she was darting off with the young Garrison pilot, the pair of them all smiles.

The headache was the next step of his descent, growing worse and worse as Griffin continued poking around.

Shiro cast him a concerned look as he headed out of the hanger, doing his best to ignore Pidge and Griffin’s forms retreating down the corridor to his left, gently rubbing his temples with his index and middle fingers. “Another headache?”

“Yeah,” He groaned, closing his eyes tightly. He briefly wondered if the ship lights had always been so glaringly bright before shaking his head and forcing himself to look up at his mentor. “Must be a side effect from dealing with the team. Sure you don’t miss that life.”

The other cast him a scowl, brows knitting. “You guys may have been a bit energetic and wily, but I never got headaches like _this_ from it,” He said, indicating Keith with a flippant wave of his hand. His tone was one of clear displeasure, bordering on anger, and Keith felt his shoulders slump instinctively. “Are you sure it’s not something else? Maybe a head cold or something?”

Keith scowled himself, casting a glance in the direction the others had disappeared. “It could also be that the MFE Pilots are always hovering around and distracting everyone during training, which makes things more difficult. Especially Griffin,”

“James? The most I’ve seen is him trailing along with Pidge and asking her about how the Lions and bayards work and stuff,” He said in slight surprise.

He could feel his blood boil and a tightness in his chest, as if his ribcage was slowly clenching in on his organs. ”_Exactly_! He’ll hover outside of the hanger after flight training, or the sparing room while we’re running through ground combat scenarios, and it’s _infuriating_!“

"Isn’t it good that he understand how Team Voltron functions, though? So he and the other MFEs can be more effective?” He pointed out, eyebrow rising in suspicion.

“Not at the expense of Voltron’s success,” He bit back out, struggling to take another breath. The tightness in his chest was only get worse the longer they spoke.

“Well, I’ll talk with him for you, if you think it’s that much of an issue,” Shiro said after a small pause.

“_Thank you_,” He gritted out before turning and hurrying off to the infirmary. For as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he knew something was seriously wrong.

He was halfway to the infirmary when he had to stop, getting dizzy as he struggled from breath. His only saving grace was that Krolia was on board and looking for him at the time. When she saw him, hunched against the wall, scrambling to stay upright and struggling for breath. He had heard her calling his name, blinking blearily and catching glimpses of her between the spots in his vision.

She ended up carrying him there, making sure to be fast and avoid other people.

He was stretched out on a bed with an oxygen tank, waiting until he had regained his breath and settled down a bit to start pressing him with questions. He tried to hedge the truth a little bit, but Krolia was quick to correct the information she was aware of. For as much as he needed help, he didn’t want to have to admit to the truth, to have to face it yet.

An x-ray was done once the three symptoms were made known, the doctor looking at him with pure pity and resignation. It caused a small flare of anger in him but another part of him couldn’t blame him. He knew what the diagnosis would mean.

Listening to the doctor break it all down for his mother, though, felt like a stab to the gut.

“Hana… _What now_?” Krolia asked, arms crossed and head tilted. She was standing beside his bed, pacing while they awaited the results, but grown still once the doctor returned. He had tried to coerce her to sit for this news, but she refused.

The doctor sighed and flipped through a few pages on his clipboard. “Hanahaki Disease. It’s been rather uncommon in recent years since schools began properly educating students about the symptoms, but it still does spring up in a handful of human a year. It does seem to be manifesting differently for him than other patient’s I’ve seen before, though. This is most likely a mutation due to his DNA being a mix of two different alien species, if I were to reason a guess. The flower has started to develop a bud much sooner than anticipated, but it is still rather small and rather benign,” He explained, turning the clipboard towards her and allowing her a look.

From around her, Keith could see the dark, twining shape of something growing in his left lung.

She stared at it before looking back at the medic. “What causes this?”

“This disease is a direct response to romantic feelings,” He explained, turning the pages back over and jotting something down on the top page.

“Romantic feelings? This never happened with his father,” She scoffed in mild disbelief.

“Because the feelings he had for you were reciprocated, yes? Hanahaki Disease is specifically caused by cases in which the patient feels their affections are unrequited, and the pain manifests itself in the form of the disease,” He explained. He then motioned towards his head with the pen in his hand. “It starts out as something akin to a cold or flu virus, with fevers and headaches, but the longer it is left alone, the worse it gets. As the x-rays have shown here, the roots and buds of a flower are beginning to take root in his lungs.”

A somber look had taken over her features as she listened through the explanation. “So he isn’t far along then. Then how much medication will he need for how long to remove this from his system?”

The doctor shook his head a bit."I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” He said, tucking the clipboard under his arm and cast a sympathetic glance at the bed-bound man. “There are very limited options to deal with this. If he can confess his feelings to the person he is romantically interested in and those feelings are returned, then this will all blow over on its own. If that is not the case, the only option is for us to surgically remove both the flowers as well as the romantic desire for the individual. Surgery is a last resort and incredibly uncommon, though, as the removal of the flower can also remove the patient’s ability to feel a romantic connection ever again.”

“I don’t want surgery,” Keith managed to wheeze out after a moment. The other turned their attention to him, one in bewilderment and one in curiosity. “I know it might sound dumb but… I don’t want to risk losing my ability to love.”

Krolia shook her head vehemently and turned back to the doctor. “Galra do not operate like this, though. Could that potentially open up other approaches for him?“

“I don’t know. Our research into the effects of human ailments on Galra subjects is practically non-existent. We only came in to contact with your race recently, and it was not under mutually beneficial circumstances,” He admitted. “Additionally, your son is the only human-Galra hybrid known about. He is our only point of reference in a situation such as this. But, considering his reactions to more benign human diseases have leaned more towards the kind of reaction of your average human his age? It would seem the options I have presented would still be the only ones.”

"How can you have no other options, no middle ground between those two? There _must _be a medication or something to help!”

"I’m sorry,” He said quietly, head dipped “but affairs of the heart cannot always be easily managed. There is medication that can help delay the effects of the symptoms some if he would like to explore one of the available treatment options. However, if opts out of confronting the feelings, or if they are not reciprocated, then surgery will be his only option for survival. I wish there were more I could do.”

With that said and one final tip of his head, the doctor left the Kogane’s in silence.

A part of Keith could see the gears in his mother’s head turning as she stared from object to object in the room, processing everything that had just been dumped on her. He felt awful, knowing that she was most likely in anguish because of him. He was a terrible son, really, but he couldn’t help how he felt. One of the few things he saw as an admirable trait of his was how deeply he cared about the people around him, how far down his trust went once someone proved they earned it. This extended beyond his romantic endeavors, obviously, but there was something different about his feelings for Pidge. He didn’t want to lose the sense of comfort and happiness he felt when he was with her, didn’t want to lose the ability to feel that again with someone.

The awkward, tense silence continued on for what felt like hours before finally, she took a deep breath and looked at him, golden eyes flashing with determination. “Who is it?” She asked curtly.

“Mom, please,” He said with a small sigh. A part of him knew he should have expected this from her but he’d been hoping they could avoid it.

“No, tell me. We are going to get this whole thing taken care of so you can get better,” She snapped back, her tone strict.

He growled and glared back at her. “Mom, seriously. _Drop it_,” He hissed.

“Keith, this is _serious_! You could _die_!”

“It’s not life threatening!”

“_Yet_! But it will be if you don’t deal with these feelings! And I can’t lose you, Keith! You’re _all_ I have _left_!” She pleaded, her anger dying down towards the end, tears starting to catch in the corners of her eyes.

He heart stammered at the sight. She hadn’t broken down like this in front of him before and it gave him pause. For as much as he loved Pidge, a part of him felt it was wrong to rush into this decision. Could he die knowing he would be breaking his mother’s heart in doing so? Or would the risk of the surgery be his better option long term? “I’m _not _going to die,” He said quietly, putting as much conviction into his words as he could muster. “I’m gonna find a way to deal with this without dying or needing the surgery.”

“How? Without confessing to whoever it is, how will you do that?” She asked, taking in a trembling breath.

He tore his gaze away from her to fix on the blank canvas of the ceiling. “I don’t know yet, but I’ll figure something out,”

He ended up spending the rest of the day in the infirmary recovering and was given a prescription for the medicine the doctor mentioned. He started it that night and felt significantly better the next day, able to get back to business as if nothing was wrong. Well, except for when missed his medication one day and woke up spitting petals all over his comforter. The little white petals almost seemed to be daisy petals, which he wouldn’t have been too surprised by, but something about the shape of them seemed off. These ones were a bit longer and more narrow than he recalled daisies to be.

A quick search found they were the petals of a hyacinth flower.

He made sure to stay on top of his medicine after that incident and, for the most part, things for he and the rest of the team returned to normal. With the help of the medicine, he could play his role as the Black Paladin of Voltron, last beacon of justice in the universe, like he needed to. Well, unless Pidge was around. When she was there, it felt like he could feel the roots of the flowers burrowing down deeper into the tissue of his lungs, as if to mock his futile attempts to maintain some sense of normality.

For a few weeks, things were fine. But then they got much, much worse.

It was shortly after their training for the day when it happened. He had noticed that he hadn’t seen Griffin around recently, but there he was, sporting a glare that was keyed in on the Black Paladin. Keith himself rolled his eyes and shifted to move past him, uninterested in dealing with him at the time. A hand shot out and grabbed his forearm, stopping him in his tracks before he could leave, though.

“Hey, Kogane, care to chat?” Griffin asked, cocking his head slightly. Keith opened his mouth to speak but was cut off as the other man continued. “Apparently you have an issue with me talking to the other Paladins.”

“I never said that,” He huffed gruffly, yanking his arm free of his grip.

“Well, you said _something_, because Captain Shirogane pulled me aside to lecture me about interrupting training sessions,” He snapped back, pivoting on his heels and pursuing him.

Keith didn’t even turn to face him, picking the pace of his steps up a bit to get more distance between them. “All I said was that I thought you hovering around was a distraction to some of the Paladins. I need their full focus while we’re running drills and strategies, which is something I would think you could understand as the leader of an elite, exclusive team yourself,” He quipped out flatly.

"And as a leader I am able to command my teammate’s attention without having to blame other people for their distraction,” He barked back.

“Unless you think you could lead them better,” Keith said while skidding to a stop, turning around and glaring down at the other, “I don’t want to hear it.“

A small smirk turned up on the other’s lips and he cocked his head back. "I probably could, if I’m already managing to hold their attention better than you can,” He said haughtily.

And then, all Keith saw was red.

He wasn’t exactly sure if he just full-on launched himself at James, or if he struck him one good time like the last time the two duked it out, but he still felt incredibly satisfied with himself as they swapped blows. He wasn’t sure when the crowd appeared, circling around them and shouting various exclamations, some of encouragement and some trying to settle them down. It felt strange, in a way, how no one was actively stopping them as his fist collided with James’s right cheek, sending him stumbling to the side. Someone else in the crowd caught him and pushed him back towards Keith, a fire in his dark brown eyes.

But it was movement over James’ shoulder that caused him to briefly freeze, as his own eyes locked with a copper pair wide with surprise.

The distraction was all Griffin needed to land a good hit right on Keith’s nose, the crunch of bone and rush of fluid dribbling down his chin all too familiar. He wheeled around, intending to jump right back into the fray, but had to stop when he saw that Pidge had shoved her way through the crowd. She was in front of Griffin, one hand pressed against his shoulder to keep him from moving past her. He swayed a bit, the uncomfortable crawling feelings in his chest creeping up higher. His vision slowly grew foggy, the distortion getting worse as he tried to blink it away. He could hear Pidge and Griffin arguing, but they sound distant and muffled, as if his head was being held underwater.

She had turned to face him, one hand held up tentatively, when he doubled over and started retching violently.

“What the Hell, Kogane?” Griffin snapped, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him, but froze when he saw the odd mix of bile, blood and pastel pink petals starting to pool on the ground. “Holy shit… Kogane, you…”

“Oh, my God,” Pidge breathed out, voice trembling with fear. Keith wanted to reach out, to tell her that he was going to be just fine, but when he tried to open his mouth to speak again, all that came out were even more petals and blood. He didn’t hear or see her go, but when the latest bout subsided and he tried to regain some of his bearings, he was surrounded and she was gone.

His hearing decided that moment to be when it picked back up on the loud, obnoxious shouts of the officers surrounding him.

“Is he puking _flowers_?” One person yowled out frantically.

He heard another person actually laugh. “Oh, man! He’s got Hanahaki Disease! That _totally sucks_!”

“Should we get him some water or something?” Another asked more timidly.

“Are you sure he wouldn’t just _choke_ on it?” Another quipped back sarcastically.

He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to focus on his breathing, panic rising inside of him. He could feel his body getting ready to let loose with another round but he didn’t want that. Not with all these eyes leering over him as if he were a spectacle in a freak show.

“What’s going on over here? Everyone, back to your assigned stations, now!” Shiro’s voice cut through the white noise like a blade, calling what little sense Keith had left back into himself. He pressed his hands against the wall as he heard the other approaching him, forcing his shaking legs to keep him upright. He peered up through his bangs at the horrified expression on the others face, taking in the sight of his soiled uniform and pallid complexion. “Keith!”

“S-Shiro,” He rasped out shakily, trying so hard to keep all the pain and shake and fear bottled inside. He didn’t want to fall apart there, covered in his own mess in front of a crowd of practically strangers, like some kind of frightened child.

None of them needed to know just how much he really was one, underneath the bravado.

It took Shiro just that little plea before he was wheeling around to the barely-thinning crowd. “Someone send for a medic! _Now_!” He bellowed, in a tone so unlike him that Keith himself flinched. He then turned back and rushed over, pulling him as close to himself as he could, slinging an arm over his shoulder as he did. “It’ll be okay, Keith. Just hang on.”

As he was led - or, rather, carried - away, he caught another glance at the pink flowers he’d puked up. He was pretty sure the wide petals were those of a tulip.

Half way to the medical wing he ended up puking up the entirety of a whole a flower, which he knew wasn’t the norm with this illness, and had then had to awkwardly carry it the rest of the way for the medics to look over. He was settled in one of the private medical wing rooms, getting poked and prodded like mad in a matter of minutes. He was asked a myriad of questions that he was both able and completely unable to answer. What type of flowers had he puked up so far? How many incidents had their been? Had there been an exorbitant absence of the object of his affections in his life recently? Was he keeping up with the schedule of his medication? Would he be willing to consider the option of addressing his feelings with this person? Would he like for them to call them up?

Shiro had seemed frantically worried when he refused to answer the question of who, but hadn’t pressed him further.

Shiro, Hunk, Lance and Allura all came to see him as often as they could, despite constantly being busy with this or that. Aside from one time where Lance asked him if there was anything going on between Keith and his sister, Veronica, there hadn’t been any questions about who he was interested in, which he appreciated. Whether it was because Shiro told them not to, or they feared probing too far would only make things worse, he couldn’t really say.

It was through them he got what little tidbits of the most recent going-ons that he could.

A betting pool was going around on the ship as to who it was, exactly, that Keith was interested in. So far, they had whittled things down to just three possibilities; Acxa, Veronica - which explained the question - and James Griffin himself. The idea that it was Griffin had been so horrifying that he nearly let the truth of who he was interested in slip out of sheer outrage. That made absolutely no sense to him at all! How, after getting into a huge fight that ended with him getting a busted nose, could any sensible person on the ship think it was James Griffin he was aching for? 

They made a few jokes about the situation, but none of them told him what kind of reaction the speculation had gotten from Griffin himself. Or, he noticed, what Pidge thought about it. Then again, he hadn’t seen her since the fight. Whether that was for better or worse, he couldn’t say for sure. A small part of him wished that she would come to see him, to give him an answer. Each day, he was getting worse and he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. He needed to make a move before it was too late.

As if to answer his silent prayers, she finally walked in five days into him being infirmary-bound.

“Hey,” She called softly, arms tucked behind her as she carefully shut the door.

His eyes snapped open from where he’d been dozing in and out, as he was prone to doing lately. “H-Hey,” He coughed out, moving to sit up a bit more.

She glanced at him with a small, forced smile as she walked closer. “I’m sorry I didn’t come by to see you sooner. I haven’t been feeling so hot myself, and I didn’t want to, like,” She trailed off, eyes shifting over to the monitors he was hooked up. He had a hunch as to what she was going to say and appreciated her dropping it. After a moment, she shook her head and held one hand out to him, revealing a small, oval-shaped stone in her palm. It was a pale orange color, with small flicks of white peppered along it. “We just stopped by the Balmera to do a check on how they’re healing up and to properly introduce them to the rest of the Coalition. It’s not much, but I saw this kinda cool rock and thought you might like it.”

“Thanks, Pidge,” He said with a small chuckle, carefully taking the stone. It was smooth and cool to the touch. After a moment of inspecting it, he set it on the small bedside table.

“Mmhmm,” She hummed, standing beside the chair and swaying a bit. He had learned she tended to shift and fidget even more when she was uncomfortable. “So… Hanahaki Disease?”

Ah, there it was. “Yeah,” He said, slumping back against the bed. How was he supposed to breach the subject? Just outright admit to everything? Or should he just outright ask her about things with Griffin?

“Some of the younger crew members have started up a betting pool, apparently,”

“I know,”

She shifted again, one arm looping behind her back and rubbing at the other unconsciously. He silently berated himself for not saying something that didn’t completely kill the potential momentum of a conversation. “I… If you don’t mind me asking-!”

“I do mind. I just-!” He interrupted her, but was then in turn interrupted by a coughing fit. He felt a pressure at the back of his throat, familiar with what it meant and forcing it to dissipate for just a little longer. He just needed to get the truth out so he could move on.

"O-Oh, sorry. Yeah, sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,” She stammered out, taking a cautious step back. She was trying to run away, worried that she’d upset him and made things worse by being so forward. “Maybe I should go and let you rest.”

He reached out and waved a hand at her as he finally managed to get a full, deep breath in. No! I… I want you. To stay. We haven’t hung out in a while. Won’t be much for conversation. Considering,“ He pressed out as best as he could.

She blinked and her posture relaxed some, a more genuine smile tipping up on her lips. "You’ve never been big on conversation, you’re just using being sick as an excuse,” She teased. Her words sparked a laugh out of him, but it was cut short again as he retched again. It was mostly clumps of blood, but intermingled were the dark blue petals of an all new flower. He could catch her flinching in the peripheral of his eyes. “Oh, my God! Keith! H-Hold on! I’ll go get a doctor!”

“P-Pidge,” He cried as best as he could, trying to reach out to stop her. He needed to tell her before the fit got too bad, until he didn’t have the chance to.

But she was already at the door, opening it. She peered back at him with wide eyes, filled with fear but also fierce determination. “Hold on, okay? I’ll be right back!” She vowed before launching herself from the room. “We need a medic in here now!” She shouted down the hallway, making a dash towards some figure she must have seen.

As he sat there and let the agony of another fit rush through him, he didn’t try to stop himself from sobbing in frustration.

The fit lasted longer than the others and left him so drained afterwards, that he had to be hooked up to an oxygen machine. His consciousness flickered in and out over a passage of time that felt simultaneously like days and minutes, leaving him feeling even more disoriented than he’d ever been. Somewhere along the line, he was coherent enough to overhear the doctor say the blue flowers had been anemone, but he’d flickered back out before he heard them discuss what that meant.

When they finally managed to get him stable enough to make a decision, it wasn’t as hard as he’d thought it’d be.

“I should… Probably pick a new Black Paladin… Huh?” He wheezed out shakily once the doctor left, offering a tired smile to Shiro as he walked in.

“Keith,” The older man choked out, voice catching.

Another figure appeared from behind him and Keith could feel the roots wedged inside of him start festering at the sight. “What are you talking about? You… You can have the surgery. You might need time to recover, but Shiro could take charge for the short term while you recover,” Pidge said, stepping closer as she spoke, a scowl taking over her features as she looked between them.

He forced himself to look away from her, eyes locking as best as they could on a spot on the ceiling above his head. “No, I… I don’t want… To risk it. I don’t… Want to lose being… Able… To feel like this,”

She stared at him as if he’d just stricken her. “To feel like _what_? Like you’re _dying_? Like every breath is miserable and you’ve been gargling dirty pennies? Whoever it is _isn’t _worth this!” She snapped, advancing on him. It reminded him of a long time ago, when he had charged at her like that.

Seeing that spark in her eye and how she refused to back down had probably been when the infatuation had started, he realized.

“Pidge, calm down,” Shiro said quietly, reaching out to set a hand on her shoulder and try to delicately direct her away.

She jerked away, having absolutely none of it. “_No_! He’s being a _complete moron_! Shiro, _tell him_! _Tell him he’s making a stupid decision_!” She argued, voice growing more frantic.

Keith let his eyes close and took a deep breath, trying to focus on saying what he still had to say. “I think… Griffin would be a good Paladin,” He groaned out, wincing as he rolled his head to look at Shiro. “He’s got… Leadership experience. Could keep things… In line.”

The other looked horrified, realizing why he was rambling on like this. “Keith, no!” He said frantically, reaching over and slamming his hand down on the emergency call button. A red light began flashing outside of Keith’s room and he could hear the blare of the alarm just faintly.

“We _don’t need _a new Paladin, we _need you_! _You can’t be replaced_!” Pidge nearly screamed, seeming completely hysterical. Keith couldn’t necessarily blame her, even as his focus started to get spotty and he could feel his breathing getting harder. The weight of the final flower rooted in his lungs was getting heavier and heavier, knowing full well that the timer was on the edge of running out.

He faded out for a brief moment, surrounded by medics peering him over and frantically barking at one another. He looked just past them, though, to where he could see a struggle still taking place.

His heart skipped a bit, a small ember burning deep inside, as Shiro tried desperately to lead Pidge out of the room.

“Pidge, clear out! The medical team needs room to work!”

He could only see Shiro’s back, but he could see her face, fat tears running down her cheeks but a furious scowl on her lips as she tried to push her way around the other. “_No_! I’m _not going anywhere_ until he gets it!” She snapped angrily, her gaze shifting from him to Keith’s. She sucked in a breath and held his gaze for a moment, a new set of tears welling up, before her eyes narrowed and she pointed at him in an almost menacing manner. “You don’t get to just leave us like this! Not after everything we’ve been through together! You _can’t_ just _leave me here_ on my own!” She howled.

The flicker in his chest grew a bit brighter, a spark of hope. What was she saying? What did she mean by that? Could… Could it be…?

Her attention shifted back to Shiro as he took hold around her waist and began bodily moving her towards the door. “Let go of me! He needs to know! He doesn’t deserve to die like this! Not now!” She grabbed onto the door frame with one hand while the other seized Shiro’s shoulder and used it as leverage to meet his gaze again. “_Don’t you dare die on me, Keith Kogane_! I’ll _never_ forgive you for breaking my heart if you do, you bastard!” She shrieked as she was finally removed, her protests continuing into the hallway but too far for him to hear fully.

Something churned inside of him, his breathing becoming frantic as he churned her words over and over. He would break her heart if he died? So then… She had to feel the same, right? He lurched forward, tossing every ounce of strength he had left in him to sit upright. He had to follow her! He had to tell her the truth! One of the nurses grabbed his shoulders and tried to shove him back down. He shifted away, but then he felt that creeping sensation stir up again.

For a moment, he couldn’t breath at all, something lodged in his throat so tight he thought that he’d die. It was agonizing for what he swore had to be a full minute before he lurched forward and something large, bloody and red fell in his lap with a disgusting, wet plopping noise. He stared at it for a moment, swearing that it had to be his honest-to-God whole heart sitting there before him. It was hard to make out, but attached to it were small, blooming red carnations, seeming almost beautiful intermingled with the mess.

For a moment, all he saw was red, before his body swayed, slumped back, and everything went sheet white and silent.


	4. Light'em Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cute, shameless fluff about Keith and Pidge taking their children to festival/ firework show and spending time with their incredibly large, close family. Also includes a little bit of Grandma!Krolia bonding.

“We gotta make sure to pick the perfect spot!” The young girl said happily, head high as she led the small gaggle up the hill.

“Yeah!” The two young boys behind her agreed eagerly.

Then, after a beat of silence, the older of the other two tilted his head. “But how do we do that, Amber?” He chirped.

“Easy,” Amber scoffed, turning to walk backwards and face the others. She had that confident grin in place that always reassured her siblings that she was in control. “The perfect spot will be big, with lots of room for the blankets! And it’ll have a clear view of the sky!” She said, gesturing to the sky above with a wide sweep of one hand.

“Oh!” The two boys trailed, eyes lighting up at her explanation.

She smiled and nodded, then let out a small yelp as she stumbled over her own feet. A hand reached out and caught her arm, keeping her from completely tumbling backwards. “Amber, what did I say about watching where you’re going?” A deep voice said patiently, a second hand reaching out to pluck her up and set her on her feet proper again.

“Sorry, Daddy,” She said meekly.

A small smile turned up on the dark haired man’s lips. “It’s okay, sweetheart, just be careful. I don’t want anything bad happening to you,” He explained, pressing a quick peck to her cheek before letting her go to scramble back over to her brother’s.

“She’s a wily little thing, isn’t she?” A voice chimed behind him, clear amusement in her voice. He turned and chuckled as she struggled to get the stroller she was pushing past a few larger rocks. Once she got it past, she glanced briefly down at the little top cover on the stroller. “Is Ari still asleep?”

He leaned over only to be greeted by a pair of bright green eyes and a big three-toothed grin. “Dada!” She squealed, holding her arms out and making grabby hands at him.

“Not in your wildest dreams, Pidge,” He teased before reaching out to unclasp one and half year old. Once she was unbuckled, she held her arms out at him and patiently waited as he scooped her up and out, settling her on his hip.

Pidge let out a low groan and tilted her head back. “Well, might as well collapse and fold this stupid thing up. There’s no way she’s gonna stay in it now,” She groused, leaning down and flicking a little lever on the side. He watched in mild amusement as she collapsed it, peering over his shoulder to see the older three waiting impatiently at the top of the nearby hill. Amber was tapping her foot and staring at them expectantly, while the two boys were shifting from foot to foot as if they had to go potty, peering over the hill and then back over at the adults.

“At least the kids are excited,” He offered, leaning over to hold open the carrying case for the stroller.

“That excitement is going to keep them wired for most of the night, you know,” She warned as she dropped the stroller in, then pulled the drawstrings to close it up. Once that was done, he grabbed the shoulder strap and tossed it over his own shoulder. “Remind me again why we decided to attend this overcrowded nonsense again, Keith? Because the whole Paladins-of-Voltron thing is starting to get real old.”

Keith chuckled. “Because we promised the kids and we’re the kind of parents that mean it when we say we’ll do something?” He suggested.

“Hmm. Maybe this means we need to start letting them down a bit more. Can’t keep setting the bar too high for ourselves, after all,” She said, but he knew she was teasing. For as much as Pidge complained, he knew she could never say no to the kids when they wanted something. Well, something reasonable, at least; they had to tell Amber no a few weeks back, when she’d asked what it would take for her parents to order her a plasma gun.

They headed over to the top of the hill to join them, then gawked down with wide eyes at the huge array below. “Oh, wow,” He said with a nervous laugh.

“Seems they went all-out for Liberation Day this year, huh?” Pidge trailed, eyes sweeping from booth to booth with poorly concealed exhaustion. Liberation Day was the newest of Earth holidays, to commemorate the day Voltron bested Sendak and his forces, freeing them from the Galra’s three year takeover. Pidge and Matt were convinced that they called it Liberation Day because they were worried about licensing if they called it Independence Day because of some old movie that involved hostile alien invaders and Will Smith. Colleen insisted that it was because “liberation” was the more applicable word based on proper definitions. Sam refused to comment as to which option had more validity behind it.

He and Pidge had attended it a few years before, but this was the first time since Kaden had been born. And it was also much larger this go-around.

There were tons of booths set up with various games and other activities, including facepainting and what they could only deem to be a tattoo booth. They were right next to each other, though, so it was hard to tell which was which. He decided that would be a Mommy activity since she was the one more familiar with alien languages. He could also see various booths with fair foods - both human and alien - but he noticed the ones that he could see were primarily desserts. There were a bunch of little roller coasters and other such thrill rides set up, including a hall of mirrors, bumper boats and race car areas. Off to the left of the festivities, he could see families set up in a designated area, spreading out blankets and setting up little grills.

“This. Is. _So cool_!” Amber squealed excitedly, bouncing from foot to foot to keep from tearing off down the hill.

“Flashy lights,” Oliver chimed, looking back at their parents and pointing down below.

Pidge giggled as she walked over, gently ruffling his hair. “That’s right, baby. Lots of flashy lights,” She hummed.

“Can we go? I wanna play all the games! And ride the big coaster!” Amber gushed excitedly, pointing at the ride in question. It was clear across the fairgrounds, with corkscrews and loops and inverted loops that seemed near impossible. The neon sign, which shifted between the hues of the Voltron Lions, proclaimed it to be “Paladin Perils”. From where they were, they could see the carts of the things were decorated to look like the five Lions as well.

A small part of him could almost feel the unamused curiosity Black Lion would have expressed upon seeing it.

“We’ll see how you’re feeling after we get a spot and have some food,” Keith advised, gently setting a hand between her shoulders and starting to steer her towards the sitting area.

“Oh, you’re right! We need to find the perfect spot!” She gasped before tearing off down the hill. Kaden and Oliver were just a few paces behind her, but Pidge caught up and scooped Oliver up easily enough.

“_Amber Rose_, _Kaden Ethan_, get back over here, _now_!” Pidge shouted after them, tilting her head this way and that to avoid getting clipped by the thrashing three year old in her arms. The two paid her no mind, though, and kept going along, ducking and weaving through the throngs of other attendees to get where they wanted to be. “They are _both dead_ when we get them!” She hissed out.

“We better hurry before they get to far ahead,” Keith said, already starting to jog after them. He ignored how the stroller bounced and hit his hip, more focused on catching up with his two older children while making sure Ari didn’t get jostled around too much. She, however, seemed to find the whole thing absolutely hilarious, judging by the squeals and giggles she was releasing.

He caught up to Kaden easily enough, catching the back of his shirt and giving a small tug to steer him towards him. “_Daddy_!” He whined quietly.

“No whining, young man,” Pidge harrumphed as she walked over, finagling Oliver to be pinned against her under one arm, and taking one of Kaden’s hands in her now freed one. “You know better than to run off like that! _Especially_ in a big crowd like this!” She continued on.

With her handling the boys, Keith surged forward to try and find Amber again. The further in he went it became harder as the crowds thicken and panic coursed through him. “Amber!” He called out, carefully bouncing Ari up so that his grip on her was more supportive. He shifted and shoved a bit, lifting his other arm to press the younger girl closer to himself for security, trying to peek over and around other people.

And then, suddenly, Amber’s pouty little face was right in his own, hovering far too high off the ground. “I believe this is yours,” A familiar deep voice chimed, filled with amusement.

“_No fair_, Papi Koli! I’m on a _super important mission_!” She wailed, tossing her head back to try and look at him better.

“Regardless, kit, you shouldn’t be wandering so far away from your parents. Not when you’re still so small,” He said patiently.

“Thank you so much. Her and the boys just took off running,” Keith breathed, reaching out to take her with his free arm. Amber refused to grab on to him in return, instead settling back into her pout with her arms crossed over her chest, but thankfully enough he was able to side-step in such a way that she just slumped against his chest.

“I understand. Kits can be a bit of a handful when they get excited,” He answered before looking over at Ari, who had perked up and was staring at him with a huge grin. “Speaking of… May I? It’s been a while since I’ve seen this little one awake.”

Keith chuckled and carefully passed Ari over, perking up and waving as he saw Krolia fast approaching from behind the older Blade commander. “Hey, Mom,” He said.

“What happened? I heard you shouting and then all of a sudden Kolivan darted off,” She fretted, looking between the two men and little girls fretfully. Ari remained unperturbed, instead eagerly patting her little hands along Kolivan’s face, tracing the red marks just above his eyes.

“Three of these little butts decided to go full rogue and run off into the crowd,” Pidge grumbled as she approached. Kaden had gone dead body in her grasp and was now having to be carried under her arm just like his little brother, eyes fixed to the grass. Oliver, meanwhile, let out an unholy shriek and thrashed with renewed vigor. “I’ll give you fifty GAC if you can guess which three were involved.”

Krolia looked between Keith, then Pidge, then all three of the older children. “So you’re offering a donation, then? How kind of you,” She teased before approaching her and offering to take one of the boys.

“You’re lucky I like you,” Pidge said with a playful tone of her own as she offered Kaden over. She let out a hiss as Krolia took him and glared down at Oliver. “Headbutting Mommy in the booby is not nice behavior!”

Krolia winced a bit herself as she took proper hold of Kaden. “You three are rather excited about tonight, but you need to mind your manners still,” She chided gently, reaching up to push his bangs out of his face. Kaden looked up at her with watery, guilty eyes before sniffling and tucking his head into her shoulder. Keith could see her melting even further, one arm gently rubbing his back. “There now, it’s okay. You just need to behave and apologize properly.” She cooed.

Keith chuckled and looked down at Amber, who had uncrossed her arms and started fiddling with the strap of the stroller. It seemed the guilt was starting to catch up with her in the face of Nana Olia voicing disappointment. “‘M sorry, Daddy,” She mumbled, sounding far too shameful for a grade schooler.

“I accept your apology, sweetheart. Please remember that Mommy and I worry about losing you in these big crowds, so staying close is always best,” He explained gently. She nodded before wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling into him. He glanced up at Kolivan and Krolia as he rubbed her back. “Did you guys manage to get a spot?”

“Indeed. A rather nice one, I believe,” Kolivan chuckled, eyes briefly moving from the grinning baby still poking at his face.

“Colleen and Sam arrived around the same time as us, so they helped us pick. Plus Hunk, Shiro and Matt have arrived with their families, so we were just finishing getting everything set up,” She explained.

“Oh, awesome!” Pidge breathed, finally managing to coerce Oliver to calm down enough that she could carry him normally. She looked down at the sulky little toddler. “Mommy and Daddy are gonna have _tons_ of backup to keep you little terrorists in check.”

“I don’t like you anymore!” He snapped in protest.

“You’re allowed to feel that way, buddy,” She said evenly, nodding her head at Krolia and Kolivan so that they could show them where to go. Thankfully enough it was a short walk to a large, spacious area in the center of the viewing area. Hunk had set up a little, portable barbeque grill to get started on the cooking, and Matt was setting up a small table so they’d have a place to fix plates of food. Shay was settled on one of the blankets, talking to a recently-joined Allura. The young ruler was gently bouncing Paige, their youngest baby girl, on her hip while her other hand rested against the slight slope where their newest baby was still growing. Lance was setting up a portable pack and play for the two babies. The older three McClain kids and both of the Garrett’s were settled on a blanket with Coran, who was holding up two stuffed animals and making them battle dramatically in the air above them, giggling excitedly at whatever they were doing. Sam and Shiro were spreading out the last of the blankets, completing their large, plushy circle of room for the entirety of their group while Colleen was doting on the three Shirogane tots. “Hey, guys!” Pidge called, waving with her free arm.

Allura perked up and smiled at her. “Hello, you two. How is everything?” She greeted.

“As good as they can be with these little monsters around,” She teased, perking up as Colleen flocked over. Little Hikari was settled in one of her arms, though the little tot seemed to be barely awake, her head lifting off her shoulder before her eyes would flutter shut and she’d flop back over. Even still, Pidge could already see her mother’s arm making a move for her youngest grandson. “Here, take this little gremlin.” She said playfully.

“Gladly! Hello, little Ollie! Come to Nanny Collie!” She sang happily. Keith and Krolia set the two older kids down, allowing them to flock over to the Holt’s excitedly. With the kids handled, Keith headed over to help Lance with setting up the little pack and play for Amber and Paige. “Oh, hello, my little grandbabies! It’s so good to see all of you!” She giggled, kneeling down to the older two could flock over to her as well.

“Papi Koli is holding Ari, but I’m sure if you ask nicely, he’ll give you a turn!” Amber announced as Shiro and Sam headed over to join them.

Sam laughed as he knelt down and embraced the older two. “I’ll wait my turn. Papi Koli doesn’t get to see you all as much as I do,” He said, releasing the two and standing back up, taking a moment to reach over and gently pinch little Oliver’s cheeks.

“Hi, hi!” Akihiko and Auryon, Shiro and Matt’s twins, said excitedly as they darted over, embracing their cousins eagerly. With how excitedly the kids always greeted one another, she sometimes forgot they all saw each other two or three times a week. It warmed her heart, though, to see how close their family was.

Pidge giggled a bit as she watched them all interact, allowing herself to relax a bit at knowing there would be plenty of eyes on them, and settled in with Allura and Shay on the blanket. She then shrugged off the backpack cooler she’d been sporting off and set it to her other side, opening it up and rummaging through it for the foods she and Keith had provided. Keith walked over once the pack and play was put together and took the containers from her.

“I’ve got burgers and dogs here! Who wants what and how many?” Hunk called over his shoulder with a grin.

Food went by quickly enough, with Shiro and Keith helping with plate prep and getting all the kids settled in. Amber and Paige went into the pack and play without much fuss, rolling around and speaking baby gibberish with each other. Between all the grandparents gathered around, the kids all cleared their plates and remained somewhat restrained while the parents had their own meals. Once everyone had eaten their fill, the festivities really began.

They all took turns and shifts with the kids to assure there would always be someone watching their things. Matt, Lance, Shay and Keith ended up being the ones to take the bigger kids on all the big rides they wanted. Shiro, Coran, Hunk and Pidge were the ones who went with the younger group on some of the kiddie rides, with Coran filling in for Allura as she wasn’t really supposed to be getting on any rides while pregnant. The grandparents treated all the little ones to sugary dessert snacks afterwards, and then they all took turns taking them to play the games.

Once Pidge determined which booth was the face painting booth, the kids were all adamant that everyone had to get something painted on; parents and grandparents included.

They had just finished up getting their patterns put on when Keith noticed a few of the pyrotechnics workers heading over to the designated firing zone. “Looks like the show’s about to start,” He commented.

Pidge followed his gaze before nodding. “Okay, kids, line up and hold hands! We need to get back to our spot!” She called, turning around and addressing the whole cluster of their little congregation.

It didn’t take too terribly long to get all the children in line with adults interspersed between a few of them, with Allura at the front and Pidge herself bringing up the rear. A few onlookers giggled as they went along, the children chanting, “Left! Right! Left, right, left!” after Lance got it going. She wagered it was probably pretty entertaining, seeing a line of adults and children with their faces colored up to look like various woodland creatures marching in a line like little soldiers.

Once they returned to their spot, where Kolivan, Krolia and Coran had been waiting, staying to keep an eye on Aria and Paige, the two a little too young for their parents to be comfortable with letting them get their faces painted. While everyone else got settled in as the show prepared to start, Pidge fished out a fresh water bottle from the ice chest. She settled down on the blanket, twisting the cap off and taking a sip. “Mommy, can I have a sip?” Amber asked.

“Of course, hun,” She said, carefully handing her the bottle. After she took a sip, Kaden and Oliver wandered over, staring from Pidge to the water bottle in question with large, pleading eyes. She chuckled and motioned them both over. “Come here, you two. You’ve done a bunch of running around and having fun. Gotta make sure you stay hydrated.”

The two flocked over to her excitedly, killing the water bottle off between them. “They really did work themselves up, huh?” Keith chuckled as he walked over, carrying Ari with one arm and three more water bottles in the other. He settled in beside her and offered her one before opening another and splitting it between the three older kids. “I’m hoping things are gonna be good. I heard that Nadia and Ryan were in charge of setting the show up.”

“Yeah, they were. They were having themselves a blast getting it all figured out, from what I saw at work,” She mused, taking a huge swig from her own. She then set it aside as Amber and Kaden flocked back over to her, carefully adjusting and settling themselves in her lap. “Oh? Wanna get a good seat for the show?” She laughed.

“Mmhmm! We need to have the perfect spot!” Amber proclaimed proudly.

“Yeah!” Kaden agreed.

Oliver squirmed his way into Keith’s lap, settling in beside Ari. “Better seat!” He declared.

Keith laughed. “Well thank you, buddy,” He chuckled, leaning down to press a small kiss to the top of his head. There was a crinkling of static sound far off and he perked up. “Oh, here we go.” He breathed softly.

There was an incredibly brief speech thanking those that had contributed to the planning and commencing of the event for their time, thanking the attendants for coming in, and then a promise that the show would be stunning.

To say that it was incredible, though, was an understatement. The blasts told little stories, the explosions somehow taking the shape of various alien creatures. Some of them were moments in time for other alien species - which Pidge had fun whispering to the kids - while others told stories of the Paladins of Voltron. The smell of sulfur and smoke was a touch overwhelming, but it was still stunning. The final blast was one that formed a large, flickering Voltron standing with sword at the ready to best any new opponents on the horizon. The kids all squealed and cheered, but Pidge noticed Amber gawking in wide-eyed silence, lips turned up in a huge grin.

They stayed until the last ember completely faded from the sky, leaving a smoky haze covering the sky above them. They all packed up, even the kids that were big enough to pitching in to help get things settled. Ari, Paige and Kari were out like lights by the time everything was said and done. “Oh, poor sleepy babies,” Pidge cooed softly as she buckled their little girl in. She then perked up when she saw Amber, standing in the center of where their little area had been set up, still staring up at the sky. “You okay there, Ber-Ber?” She asked.

“Yeah. I’m just… I wanna watch the stars for a little bit,” She said quietly.

She exchanged a glance with Keith. Krolia looked over at the two young parents, then looking back down at her oldest grandchild. “I’ll stay with her so she can watch for a little while longer, if you want,” She offered.

“Are you sure? I mean, you and Kolivan are probably ready for bed after you travelled all the way out here,” Keith said worriedly.

She chuckled and waved a hand at him. “I’ve done more with less sleep. Staying up a little longer won’t do me any harm,” She reassured before heading over to Amber. She waved at the others as they headed out to get their cars loaded back up. She waited until they disappeared over the hill before settling in the grass, crossing her legs in front of her. “Here, my tiny comet. It’ll be more comfy than standing.” She said, picking her up and settling her on her lap.

Amber beamed up at her before leaning back and relaxing against her. “Nana Olia, you’ve travelled all of space, right?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Not all of it,” She giggled, “but a lot of it.”

“That must have been a lot of fun,”

“There was a lot of interesting things to learn, but to be honest? I’m happy that I’m done with all that travel,”

“Really? But why?” She tilted her head up to look at her better, clearly surprised.

“Because now I can come by and see your Daddy, and see all of you. If I was still travelling, I wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with you all as I like,” She hummed, smiling down at her. She looked back up at the sky. “The stars are nice, though. Here, let me show you where to find the constellations.” She said, indicating the black expanse with tiny, flickering lights above them.


	5. Quick Draw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge closed her eyes and slowly tilted her head up towards the sky. She reached for the little pouch on her belt and pulled out a piece of gum without needing to look. She plopped it in her mouth as she slowly opened her eyes. “War is Hell,” She whispered before blowing a bubble and moving on to find her next target.

He had to keep moving, no matter what.

He darted around a corner, pressing himself against a tree and taking in a few much needed gasps of air. They’d started out decently enough, when it had been all of them. He, Lance, Hunk, Shiro and Matt, staying close together in the foreign terrain. They had known that they’d be easier to track by any enemies going in a group, but there was also strength in their numbers. So long as they were all quiet, careful and meticulous in their movements, they’d be able to get the upper hand on any potential enemies.

But then shots had rung out all around them. There had been nothing but the flicker and crackle of laser fire. He ducked for cover immediately, knowing better than to let the shock keep him from staying safe. From his perch, he’d seen Matt go down and knew he had to make a break for it. He saw Hunk and Lance darting off to the east and north respectively, while Shiro stood tall and tried to return fire like some kind of madman, barking at the remaining three to get away while they could.

Keith cracked his eyes open to try and get his bearing, shaking the memories off. He needed to stay focused on the task at hand.

There was a distinct snap before a shadow loomed over him. He slowly lifted his head and took in a shaky breath. “Pidge,” He breathed quietly.

“Keith,” She said, regarding him coolly. She peered around him briefly, eyes sharp. “Looks like you lost your weapon somewhere along the road there, huh?”

His eyes widened before he looked around himself frantically. He had set it aside briefly when he’d started hiding, not wanting it to be too obvious, but he swore he’d still be holding it! No, he couldn’t have run off without it, could he?

“Seems you’re all alone, too. Not normally a good way to be, in a situation like this, leader,” She tsked, tone dripping with malevolent glee.

“Pidge, please. You… You don’t have to do this,”

She cocked her head slightly before a small chuckle escaped her. “Do you still think that’s the case? That we’re all still a team? That’s cute. Then again, you’ve always been cute,” She said wistfully, slowly lifting the gun on her arms. “Any last words, Kogane?”

He swallowed hard before raising his hands in surrender. “I love you,” He said quietly.

There was no hesitation in her eyes as she lifted her gun to get a proper shot. “I know,” She said before pulling the trigger.

He slammed back against the tree, sucking in a breath, body slowly slumping against the ground. He stared up at her, mind whirling through all the memories between them, before his eyes finally fell shut.

Pidge closed her eyes and slowly tilted her head up towards the sky. She reached for the little pouch on her belt and pulled out a piece of gum without needing to look. She plopped it in her mouth as she slowly opened her eyes. “War is Hell,” She whispered before blowing a bubble and moving on to find her next target.

—————————————————————-

Colleen Holt pinched the bridge of her nose from the lookout, watching the scene between her daughter and the Black Paladin in frustration. “Really? Are they really treating a laser tag game like some kind of big, dramatic scene in a movie?” She groused.

“To be fair,” Sam chimed in, “they did seem miffed they weren’t put on the same team.”

“They weren’t put on the same team for the same reason we didn’t put Allura and Lance on the same team, though! If they were on one team, they’d just dominate!” She argued back.

Coran hummed thoughtfully, taking a sip of his tea from his own perch. “You know what could be the truest test for them, though? A two-on-two match of Keith and Pidge against Lance and Allura,”

Krolia glanced at him before indicating the game below, where Lance was sprawling out on the ground howling in full-blown dramatics. “Are you so sure that would be a good idea, all things considering?”


	6. Echoes in the Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While on a mission to retrieve a necessary component for medicine, Pidge and Keith are forced to enter an allegedly haunted forest. And maybe confront something more frightening than ghouls.

Missions to get medicine weren’t something they had been used to doing before but they’d had to adjust while Samuel and Coran tried to figure out how to make new healing pods. Their most recent escapade involved Lance messing with some kind of arachnid-esque creature while on a peace mission, which led to him turning orange, swelling up, and becoming slightly weightless. Coran had explained, while tying one of Lance’s ankles to the bed, that the illness took it’s time, so they had a few days to get the ingredients.

The last thing they needed was the roots of a vuque tree, found on the planet Sinturion 4. Sinturion 4 was a lush planet coated in greenary of all kinds, but was also a planet that had been relatively far removed from the conflicts of Voltron and the Galra Empire. It being aligned to no side, though, was a positive. Since Pidge was the begrudging Paladin of nature, and Keith was the leader, the pair had been sent out to retrieve it.

Which normally wouldn’t have been a problem. Except that the two of them weren’t on the best of terms right now.

Admittedly, Keith had no one but himself to blame for it. It had been a few nights prior, as he and Pidge were settled up in her room, watching movies. It had been a while since he’d had free time to just relax and it felt great. They’d started watching the Harry Potter films way back when Shiro was still missing and finally decided to start again, though they’d had to go back to the first film again. They were cuddled up under her comforter, her head on his shoulder, watching the chess game scene.

“Hey, Keith?” She asked softly, peeking up at him.

“Hmm?” He asked, tilting his head down to look at her.

She had leaned up to meet him and kissed him, soft and sweet. He had felt himself suck in a breath of surprise before relaxing into it, hand coming up to cup her cheek and tilting his own head to kiss back more firmly. The movie session had dissolved from there into more of a makeout session. Neither of them had pushed for anything below the collarbone, and the next morning he’d been silently singing the praises of his Garrison blazer’s high collar. Pidge had been watching him with a smug, satisfied grin, and actually winked at him as they parted after the morning debriefing. No one else had noticed, thankfully enough, but for as much as it had his heart pounding in a giddy whirl, it also put an uncomfortable realization in his mind.

For as much as he wanted to, he shouldn’t pursue his feelings for Pidge. It would be entirely inappropriate, given his status as the leader of Voltron. What if things didn’t go well between them and they weren’t able to work together as a team? Or if their fights carried over during combat situations? For as much as he wanted to be able to say that Pidge was his, he knew that they couldn’t put countless other lives at risk like that.

So, once he was able to, he asked to see her in private and said, “What happened the other night was a mistake.”

She had stared at him, hurt evident in her eyes. “I… I don’t understand. I.. I thought that you felt the same way,” She said quietly.

“That doesn’t matter. Or, well, I guess it does matter because it’s kind of the problem,” He said, trying to keep himself composed. It was hard, seeing her so upset, but he knew it had to be done. “We shouldn’t be pursuing anything with each other right now. Not when we still aren’t sure what Haggar is planning. Not when we have to form Voltron.”

Her brow knit at his words, eyes slowly narrowing to glare at him. “What?”

“We can’t be letting ourselves be distracted, especially not by each other,”

“So… What your saying is you don’t think I could _handle_ us being together? That I’d be _dumb enough_ to let how things between _us _are going affecting our ability to work together?” She snapped angrily. He flinched slightly, holding his hands up and getting ready to say something, but she shook her head. “Fine. Forget all about our little ‘_mistake_’, then.” She sneered before turning and storming off.

That had been nearly a week ago. Despite her still clearly being furious with him, they were still able to form Voltron and battle. She followed his orders just like before the argument, but he knew there was tension there, underneath the surface. While things with the team were fine, he and Pidge hadn’t actually been left to work solely with one another since then. This assignment, however, made collaborating a necessity. Allura and Hunk were both off getting other ingredients they needed.

The ride down had been a bit awkward with the comm channel silent other than confirming this or that about landing. The strictly professional side of Pidge wasn’t outwardly callous, but there was a rigidness to her tone and attitude and it hurt. It reminded him of how she interacted with some of the younger Atlus crew members when they got too big for their britches. When they landed, in a clear space between a large village and forest, she headed right to the small group of Sinturians waiting for them.

Sinturians were oval-headed with large, black insect-like eyes and multiple pairs of antenna that draped along them like hair. They had mouths that were reminiscent of humans but they lacked lips and had small, curved pincers protruding from the far ends. They had two sets of limbs that had exoskeleton-esque plates over them, with three fingers on their hands. From what he could glean based on appearances, females had beige coloration to their exoskeletons while males were a mahogany color. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Paladins of Voltron. I am Divus the 32nd, leader of my village,” The one he assumed was their leader said, moving from shaking Pidge’s hand to shake his.

“It’s a pleasure. Thank you so much for being open to our visit. We had been planning to come for a proper introduction with the whole team but, well, that’s part of why we’re here,” Keith said.

“The captain of your allied ship - Shiro, I believe? - gave us a brief rundown of the situation. I am afraid, however, that getting what you need will not be an easy task,” Divus admitted nervously. Keith and Pidge exchanged worried glances before the leader nodded his head, leading them towards the nearby border leading into their forest. There seemed to be a gloss of sadness covering his eyes as he stared out into the shadowy forest. “It has been many decaphoebs since anyone has entered the forest, and the last who did, never returned. There are spirits in the forest that have grown malevolent in recent times.”

Keith huffed a bit before turning his attention to the forest. “Well, we don’t have a choice. We need the roots from a vuque tree to make the antidote our friend needs,”

“Besides, the likelihood that it’s actually haunted is pretty slim. Your planet isn’t known for that kind of activity, right?” Pidge pointed out as she approached as well, walking over on Divus’ other side.

He glared at the pair of them in turn. “I am speaking from experience, young warriors! That forest robbed me of my only son, Divus the 33rd!”

“What happened, exactly?” Keith asked, making sure to be gentle in his approach. The l;ast thing he wanted to do was set the ruler off.

“We sent him out with a small group of other young, strong warriors to eliminate a colony of vile Gulabulos that had started nesting on the other side of the forest! They never made it through to the other side, though, and we most likely killed by those vile beasts,” He growled out lowly.

"And Gulaboros _are_…?” Pidge prompted, settling one hand on her hip and cocking her head. Sometimes the aliens they interacted with forgot how limited the knowledge of other species was for humans.

Divus whipped his head around to look at her. “They are _filthy savages_! They will steal land and crops, and bring with them foul diseases! They cannot be trusted and must be chased away when they get too close!” He rambled furiously, indicating the forest with one hand while the others were clenched into fists. “_They_are the reason we had to grow this forest in the first place! Many innocent Sinturions _laid down their lives_ to assure this forest grew! Their spirits have become restless and torment our own now! And for _what_? Because they move closer to the only thing keeping us safe from them, the barrier those lost souls gave their all to create? _Disrespectful, foul creatures_!”

His brow knit at the other’s words. “But… Couldn’t you just move farther away from the forest yourself?” He was answered with a vicious glare. Pidge joined in when she saw the change in the Sinturian’s demeanor. “Er… Never mind, forget I said that.”

Pidge herself hummed before shifting and starting to walk towards the forest. “Well, I guess it just means we should be extra careful, right?”

“Being careful will not serve you as well as you may think when there are furious spirits afoot,” Divus advised gravely.

“Uh huh. Anyway, we’re _kind of_ running out of time, _so_,” She trailed, walking backwards to face the alien and indicate the forest with a jerk of one thumb, “we really need to get going.”

Keith gave her a warning glance but she waved him off and turned around, already wandering past the start of the tree line. He shook his head and offered his hand to Divus again. “We appreciate your advice and help. Once our friend is feeling better, we’ll be sure to come by with the team as a whole and give you a proper welcome into the coalition,” He promised.

Divus nodded, "Thank you. Perhaps you will be able to lend you help with our little issue when your whole team is here?”

“We’ll certainly do what we can,” Keith said, nodding, before darting along after Pidge.

She glanced at him as he caught up with her. “So do you really believe anything he’s spewing?”

He scoffed. “About the Gulabulo? Sounds like nothing but racist garbage. And the thing about spirits? Sounds like superstitious nonsense,”

"Good to know we’re on the same page with something,” She barked back flatly.

For as much as he wanted to snap something back, he opted against it. He didn’t want to fight with her about the situation between them. As they walked, there was none of the usual chatter between them, and it felt unnerving. The ambiance of the forest normally would have been something Keith enjoyed. The gentle gurgling of bodies of water off in the distance and the quiet chirping of foreign birds or insects were normally soothing, but now it left his skin prickling under his body suit. Something about the whole place felt… Off.

A part of him knew that part of it was tension, but he couldn’t place where the rest came from.

The forest itself was large and difficult to navigate. Pidge had pulled up a tracker to keep an eye out for heat signatures, specifically keyed in to track down the tree they were looking for, but he could see it occasionally freezing up. They had noticed that in areas like this, with limited technology, it could sometimes be hard for them to get a proper reading on this or that. Normally they had a guide, but it had seemed like a pointless request to make with Divus. He stole a glance around them, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand upright. He didn’t like going in with something like this so blind.

Pidge let out a quiet, frustrated growl. “This place is _huge_. Do you think my signal would be better if I climbed up one of the trees?”

“It’s possible. Especially since we don’t really have any help here,” He said, looking around again. From the corner of his eye he caught a flicker of movement, a few fern-like plants shifting. He grabbed Pidge’s shoulder and tugged her back towards him. “Hold up. Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” She hissed, rolling her shoulder from his grasp.

“Stand still for a second,” He seethed, feeling on edge. He whipped around and saw the distinct gleam of something silver rushing towards them. “Pidge, _hit the ground_!” He barked, pressing a hand between her shoulder blades and forcing her down with him.

Pidge let out a squawk in response, the sound muffling as she connected with a ground. Behind them, an arrow that seemed to be made of a metal-like material stuck into a tree behind them. “_Holy_-! _Where the Hell_ did that come from?” She blurted out, staying low but trying to get a look around to see if she could find their attacker.

“Stay down! I haven’t been able to track them yet!” He pushed himself up with his arms to try and get a better look around, but ducked again as another arrow whizzed by. The sound of hissing air as it narrowly missed hitting his helmet. “Any chance you can get a reading on where or how many we’re up against?”

“Give me two ticks!” She snapped back, pressing her arms in front of her and pulling it up. Her other hand clacked away, doing this or that.

While she worked on that, he called up his shield and rushed towards where the two arrows had come from. Then, however, three more arrows came from either side of him. He managed to dodge one and had to use his shield to keep the other two from getting his calves, hitting the shield hard enough that it briefly flickered out. “_How long_ is two ticks to you?“ He snapped angrily, calling up his bayard and swatting at another arrow that came right for his head.

"It’s not _my_ fault there’s all these _big ass trees_ everywhere! They’re jamming my signal and I can’t get a good reading!” She snapped back, glaring up at him before returning her attention to her attempts at getting the monitor to work properly again. “Well, either that or we actually _are_ dealing with ghosts!”

He whirled around and glared at her as another arrow was blocked with his sword. “What do you-?” He said before looking to the ground. Maybe if he grabbed one of the arrows, Pidge could run some kind of scan on it to track it. He was stunned, however, when there was nothing at his feet. “What the Hell? There were arrows in the ground _right there_! I _felt_ the impact of them _hitting my shield_!” He looked behind him briefly, to where the first arrow had lodged in the tree, and felt fury swell in him when he saw it was gone. He hadn’t heard anyone behind him, and he certainly would have seen if someone came close enough to pick up the ones at his feet! “If that moron Dicus was right about this place being haunted, I’m gonna be _pissed_!”

“You mean Divus?”

“I know what I said!” He barked back, swiping again at another arrow that came at him. “Anything clearing up on you? Maybe something that can give us an _actual answer_?”

“My radar is still clogged! There’s still, you know, trees _everywhere_!” She snapped back, looking up as a barrage of arrows slammed into his shield, sending him tumbling back and crowding his shield as best as he could. “Keith!” She pushed upright as the onslaught died down and charged in front of him, calling out her own bayard.

“I’m fine! Get out of the way!” Keith snapped back as his shield finally flickered out.

“I’m _not_ leaving you!” She barked back before firing her hook shot out, in the direction that the last batch of arrows had come from. She felt it slam into something and then there were sparks and a crackling sound. Then, there was a quiet electrical hum, before there were smaller sparks from some of the surrounding trees. “Huh?” She trailed, yanking her hook shot loose and looking around, watching as one by one the other devices short circuited.

There was a rustling behind where her first shot had landed and a figure came tumbling out, indicating the fried device with two sets of hands. “Aw, dude, what the _Hell_? Way to fry the system, dude!” They lamented, turning around to face them.

“Wha-?” Pidge trained, her head cocking at the Sinturian standing before them. He looked a lot like Divus, only slightly smaller, and his antennae were tangled and weaved into a braid of some sort.

Keith was up and charging at him in a breath, seizing him up by the front of his robe and slamming him into the nearby tree. “Who are you and why did you attack us?” He growled, pressing the blade of his bayard against their throat.

He held all four hands up in shock. “Attack you? Nah, dude, that wasn’t me! It was just our security system; all totally fake but incredibly realistic!” He said, tone surprisingly jovial for someone being held at blade. He then nodded his head to indicate Pidge, who was approaching them with a scowl of her own in place. “Which, like, the little dudette there totally just fried.”

“I’d apologize if I hadn’t done it out of _fear for our lives_,” She seethed at him, arms crossed over her chest.

“Nah, I get it. All that, like, self-preservation stuff, ya know?” He said with a small laugh.

“You still haven’t told us who, exactly, you are,” Keith growled out lowly, pressing the blade against the stranger more firmly.

"Oh, right, right. Sorry, dude; always been a bit of a scatterbrain,“ He laughed, reaching up with one hand to gently guide Keith farther away from him. Once there was enough of space between them, he ducked down and away from Keith completely, dusting his robes off a bit. Then, he offered a smile and indicated they follow him with two arms. "Come with me and I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

“Maybe we could start with something simple to break the ice, like _your name_?” Keith prompted, calling his bayard back to himself.

“Oh, yeah! Sorry, dude,” He laughed again, still as jovial as before. If he weren’t still so frustrated Keith might appreciate how unfazed the other was by being accosted. “I used to be called Divus the 33rd, but that just wasn’t me. I felt like I was just, like, a cog in the machine. You know what I mean, man? So I picked a new name for myself! Get to be called Sudiv now!” He boasted excitedly as they began following him past the trees he’d been lurking in.

Pidge stared at him, blinking slowly, before shaking her head with a furrowed brow. "Isn’t that just-?”

“Pidge, stop,” He said, holding a hand up at her. The last thing he wanted to risk was pointing out the obvious and the whole situation getting derailed again. “Your father and the rest of your village think you’ve been dead for quite a while.”

“That was an intentional decision,” A smooth, composed voice chimed in behind Suvid. “_Fucking idiots_!” A more high-pitched voice shrieked afterwards.

The figure that stepped out was somewhat similar to the Sinturians, though the exoskeleton was a dark green coloration, their eyes were more oval-esque in shape with small black pupils, and two sets of legs, as opposed to the twin set of arms of the others. Additionally, they lacked the antennae of the others, though they did have the small tusks at the corners of their mouth. They wandered a bit closer and it was then the two of them could see a tail swaying behind them, with a large orb at the very tip. The orb was the same color as the rest of the exoskeleton, but there were two vertical slits that were glowing bright yellow, and a white zigzagging pattern just an inch or two below them.

Suvid perked up and smiled as he turned to face the. “Juel!” He said happily, holding out both of his arms to them. They smiled gently at him, holding their own hands up and allowing them to be held in both of Sudis’. Then, seeming to remember what was happening, he turned and looked at the two Paladins again. “Oh, yeah! So, strange dudes, allow me to introduce you to Juel! Juel here is my better half! Juel, these are some strange dudes that totally wrecked our security system.”

Juel blinked, clearly surprised, before they seemed to compose themselves again. “That is rather unfortunate,” They said. Their tail poked up suddenly, the orb hovering over their shoulder, seeming to stare at the two humans. “Are you _kidding me_? Do you _fucking dullards_ have any idea how long it took to build that thing? What the _actual fuck_?”

“Um… Uh…?” Pidge trailed, looking from the furious talking tail to Suvid in hopes of getting some clarification. Keith himself cocked his head a bit, stunned to find that the white zigzags were the lines of the tail entities mouth.

Suvid cast a clearly affectionate glance at his associate. “Juel is a Gulabulo, hence her smaller side,” He indicated her tail at the statement. He reached out with one hand and gently smoothed one hand over it, causing the eyes of the thing to close and the zigzags turning upward in a strange sort of smile. “For Gulabulos, their tails are a sort of secondary brain that helps filter out negative thoughts or desires to, like, help maintain peace and junk.”

Juel smiled herself and chuckled a bit. “It is more meant as a means to keep us honest. The smaller sides of us are meant to help voice our honest opinions and thoughts, though they certainly put it much more crassly than we would say ourselves,” She said calmly. The tail entity didn’t speak up this time, instead seeming content to just observe how things continued to progress. Juel’s attention returned to Suvid, growing a bit more serious again. “Now, Suvid, we should discuss getting the security system repaired immediately. Having it down for extended periods of time is not something we are prepared to allow.”

Pidge held one hand up. “I can help with that, if you want. I mean, I was the one who broke it and all,”

Juel nodded her head. “It would be appreciated,” She said. The tail mind turned to look at Pidge. “Especially considering _you_ broke it, _ya little shit_!”

Suvis suddenly clapped his upper pair of hands together, as if a thought had just occurred to him. “Oh! So, like, who are you strange dudes? And, like, why are you out here?” He asked.

Keith took a deep breath in, grateful to finally be getting back on track again. “I’m Keith, and this is Pidge. We’re the Black and Green Paladins of Voltron, respectively,”

“Voltron? We have not heard that name in many decaphoebs,” Juel said, tilting her head. “Why are you wearing _red_, then, _ass clown_?” Tail chimed in angrily.

“Because red looks better on him,” Pidge barked back with a glare. Suvid nodded sagely at that response, as if it made absolute sense.

“Regardless, what brings you Paladins to our planet?” Juel asked. “That’s a pretty shit reason!”

“Another Paladin has been infected with a venom and needs an antidote. We were told we could find what we need to make it here,” Keith said.

Suvid perked up again. “Oh, are you looking for vuque root? That stuff can cure, like, almost anything!” He said excitedly. “We’ve got stores of that in our village! It’s, like, one of the main things we grow and stuff! We can, like, totally give you the hook up, dudes!”

“Sounds great, _dude_,” Pidge drawled blandly, going so far as to hold one hand up and make some kind of hand gesture Keith had seen in some old surfing movie. She fell in line with Suvid as he resumed guiding them to the village. “So, in regards to fixing your security system…”

Once there was a small breath of space between them, Juel began walking again. Seeing as Pidge was chatting up Suvid, he figured he’d take a swing at getting more information out of Juel. She seemed to be the more mature of the pair, anyway.“So, this village…”

“It is a sanctuary for both Gulabulo and Sinturians who wish to live free of their respective societal pressures,” Juel said simply. Her tail had lowered slightly to begin observing the forest around them. It must partially be a defense mechanism, he realized. “You see, Gulabulon society believes that the smaller self is the truest self and is the self to be believed most. But, it is more than that. The smaller self is a part of each of us, the same as how we choose to be seen. Both sides must be respected and obeyed in order for a Gulabulon to know true peace.” She explained, her tone growing slightly bitter as she explained. One of her hands clenched into a fist around the soft fabrics of the robe-like outfit she was wearing. “Our leaders decided not to believe such things any longer, and instead only believe and trust the thoughts expressed by the smaller self..”

Keith hummed and nodded, understanding where Juel was coming from. “And Sinturians?”

“They are stunted by their leader’s refusal to acknowledge that not all old beliefs are beneficial and meant to be maintained as the needs of the society change,” She said, growing a bit more even. She then glanced back up, looking at Suvid’s back. The soft look she’d warned before, when she’d first approached them, returned. “At least, that is how Sudiv has described the situation to me. He tends to be very… Blase about how he words things, though, so that could be an incredible oversimplification.”

"So the two of you decided to make your own society?”

Juel giggled and nodded. “I was skeptical at first, myself. He may not look it from how he presents himself, but once you get to know him, Suvid is quite the remarkable sort. He is an incredibly thoughtful, compassionate leader who will do all that he can to help foster the success of others. He cares much for the happiness and best interests of others, even if he does occasionally come off as a bit… Flighty,” She admitted. Her tail suddenly shot back upright. “He’s such a _fucking airhead_ though!”

He hummed quietly and nodded again, looking at her curiously. “So are the two of you…?”

“I love him. Dearly and truly, more than I have ever loved another in my time,” She said with a soft, contented sigh. “And if that means I must live away from my own kind, pretending to be a phantom in the wind, that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.”

“But what would happen if things between the two of you fell apart? I mean, couldn’t that hinder your ability to lead together?” He asked worriedly.

“We are open and transparent with each other, and understand that we have a duty to those that follow us. We can be in love but also understand the importance of our roles,” She said patiently. She shifted to look at him with curiosity of her own. “Are you asking these questions out of curiosity, or to seek counsel on a situation in your own life?”

He paused and stared at Juel for a moment, then looking over at Pidge’s back. He couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he had taken the wrong approach. After all, Lance and Allura had taken their relationship to a romantic level and there hadn’t been any negative fallout regarding their teamwork. Could it be possible for it to work out for he and Pidge as well?


	7. Riptide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MerMay about two months late, with the added flavor of some Lesbian!Kidge. After a surfing trip goes horribly wrong, Keira Kogane ends up getting pulled into a meeting with some of the creatures lurking in the depths below.

The call of gulls above and the tang of salty sea air were welcoming as she stretched, moaning as her back popped. She turned her attention to the figure hunched over the opened trunk of a Jeep just behind her. “Man, it’s been way too long since our last trip out, huh?” She laughed as she walked over, rummaging through the denim shorts she’d tossed on over her suit to pull out a hair tie.

The other woman poked her head out and offered an amused smirk, blowing a few strands of dark hair from her face. “That’s what happens when you’re in college and being a professional,” She indicated each of them respectively as she spoke. She turned her attention back to her Jeep to pull out a long, red surfboard and offer it to her. “Which reminds me. How are your classes treating you, Keira?”

Keira scoffed, rolling her eyes affectionately as she took the offered board. “It’s fine. That one group mate I keep getting stuck with somehow is still as annoying as ever, but fine other than that,” She waited as her friend got her own board out and allowed her to lead her down to the beach proper. “You know, one of these days you’ll have to stop mothering me, Shiro.” She shifted to gently bop the other on her hip with her board as they walked.

Shiro laughed, side-stepping a bit to avoid the swat. “Maybe when you start taking care of yourself like an _actual adult_, I will,” She teased back before carefully hopping on one foot to start jogging across the sand.

“Hey!” Keira called after her, giving chase eagerly.

“Come on, let’s get in before all the waves are gone!” Shiro goaded over her shoulder.

Keira herself couldn’t help but laugh, feeling more at ease than she had in weeks. She’s always been someone that enjoyed outdoor activities, like swimming and hiking and the like. In the last few months, though, her personal time to indulge had been severely limited due to all the changes she was going through with.

First, she’d been accepted into Arus University, which was already a huge honor. She’d been trying to get in since her sophomore year of high school, and still had to do a two-year stint at a community college back in Texas first. Then, there was moving all the way from Texas to the California coast. She was luckier than most in that she already had a place to stay, settling in a condo with her Nana. It was a bit on the small side and one of her classmates had teased her about spending most of her free time with her grandmother, but it was nice. The condo was small, but Keira herself never needed a lot of space, and the condo had a homey feel to it. She had always been incredibly close to her Nana, who had helped Keira’s mom raise her after her dad died, so living with her just felt like second nature. Plus, Nana had let her adopt a dog, even though it was technically against the condo rules.

Did a part of her thirst for a bit more independence? A little bit, but she already felt like she had a huge amount of that. She was solely responsible for taking care of her dog - though she was almost certain Nana was working with the pooch when she was at school - and she didn’t have any curfew or anything. Nana’s only requests were that she help with the chores and errands, keep up on her grades, make sure she took care of her dog’s needs, and give her a call or text if she was going to be exceptionally late. Ultimately, she was given a lot of freedom to do what she wanted. She just didn’t really have a lot of friends outside of Shiro and her fiancee, Adrianna. Between Shiro and Adrianna both being professionals and having complicated, cluttered schedules, and Keira herself having a huge workload for her classes, coordinating to hand out had been difficult.

So, when her semester finally ended and Shiro offered her a celebratory surf trip, she’d been unable to say no.

Keira laughed a bit to herself as she followed Shiro into an upcoming curl, delighting in the feel of the cool water against her. She pushed herself upright and on to her feet as the curl over took them, carefully sliding one foot to keep her balance. There was a flicker of movement from the corner of her eye before something shoved into her bodily, sending her toppling over and under the water. She struggled and squirmed, eyes slammed shut tight to keep the water from getting in her eyes, kicking out at the feeling of something digging painfully into her right ankle. She managed to clip it with the heel of her left foot and made a mad dash for where she hoped the surface was. 

She broke the surface and gasped, sputtering water and flailing her arms around in hopes of finding her board blind. She shook her head to get some of the water out of her face and cracked her eyes, trying to get her bearings again. She could see her own board a floating a few feet away, but panic filled her when she whirled in a circle and found no sign of her friend. “Shiro! Shiro!” She shouted, continuing to look around as she scrambled to her own board, leaning on it heavily once she grabbed it. She stole a quick glance over towards the shore, but there was no sign of her there either. She wheeled back around, terror filling her. What if she got dragged out farther by the undertow? Or if whatever had gone after Keira had gone after the other, too? “Takami, where are you?”

There were a sudden figure erupting from the water nearly a yard away. Shiro’s eyes were wide in a mix of terror and pain as she tried to swim forward. “_Keira_! _H-Help_!” She shouted before being dragged back under.

“Shiro!” Keira screamed back, starting to push away from her board when she saw movement to her left. She curled one hand into a fist, preparing to lash out at whatever was coming for her, but was stunned to see the head of a young woman making her way over, watching her with shock. “H-Hey! Help us! P-Please, s-something has my friend!” She croaked out frantically, releasing the board to dive under herself. She would take the sting of salt water in her eyes to help Shiro, damnit!

"You stay put! I’m on it!” The newcomer shouted back, splashing at her and catching her in the face. When she wiped the water away and looked around, the stranger was gone as fast as she’d appeared. Keira clutched at her board, heart hammering away at her throat, looking for any sign of either woman. It felt like an eternity but couldn’t have been more than a minute or two before there were bubbles appearing right beside her and two heads broke the surface. Shiro was wheezing for air like mad, her whole body slumped and exhausted. The stranger had a firm grip on her as she helped to guide her over, moving her left arm to cover the expanse of Keira’s board. “She’s hurt pretty bad. She needs you to take her back to shore immediately.”

Keira gulped and reached over, clenching one hand on Shiro’s arm to help keep her in place. “T-Thank you, so much!” She gasped, fighting back a sob, as the stranger helped her to redirect her board and get started towards the coast again. “It’s gonna be okay, Shiro! I promise!” She vowed, looking over at her friend. It was hard to tell, but she felt her breathing still for a second at the gory mess that was the other’s limp right arm.

It wasn’t until she reached the shore, a crowd having developed and being helped along by a few lifeguards, that she realized that the stranger hadn’t gone ashore with them. She stole a glance behind her, suddenly panicked at the thought that they had been caught by whatever grabbed Shiro, too, only to see what she could only describe as a large, copper fish tail flashing briefly in the air before disappearing under the sea foam.

The next few hours after that were a bit of a blur.

She was asked tons of questions about what had happened before the attack and what it was that had got her. Due to the scope of the injuries, the diagnosis seemed to be that it was a shark attack. Her own ankle had a decent chunk taken out of it, meaning she’d be using crutches to get around for a while, though nowhere near as bad as Shiro. From what Adrianna later told her, whatever it was had nearly taken all of Shiro’s arm off. Once Keira was deemed to be in the all clear and her Nana came to get her, she was discharged with instructions and prescriptions.

Despite knowing it wasn’t her fault, a part of ehr had felt guilty when Nana had hugged her as tight as she could, her whole body shuddering with sobs.

She was given one week of full bed rest so that the stitches she’d needed had time to start the healing process. In that time, her Mom had flown out to help out with things, too. Mom and Nana were constantly on the lookout, offering to help her with every little thing. Certain things she appreciated but sometimes she found it frustrating, being treated like an invalid. Whenever she could, she went to visit Shiro, too.

The other woman was in surprisingly high spirits despite having her right arm amputated, which seemed to leave Adrianna exasperated.

It wasn’t until a month later, when Shiro was officially discharged and Keira herself was sporting a mostly-healed scar, that she heard on the news that the beach was on a temporary shut down after there had been another three shark attacks in the weeks following what happened to them. Thinking about it all again, her mind called up the stranger that had helped them and how they seemed to have disappeared entirely afterwards. The more she turned it over, the more she remembered about them. Bright, honey colored eyes with hair a slightly darker hue that had fanned out against the water around her. There were a few flecks of what seemed like freckles along the bridge of her nose and shoulders and upper arms, but her memory chimed in that they had seemed incredibly glossy to be marks like that. They had seemed much more like tiny, shimmering scales.

And then there was the whole Disappearing-Tail thing she’d seen, too.

Keira glanced down at her ankle curled up beside her on the couch, reaching out to trace the pale, parallel marks of the forming scars. “I had to have been seeing things, right? There’s no way she was actually a… I mean, right?” She trailed uncertainly, looking from the mark to her dog curled up on her other side. Kosmo lifted his head, slowly blinking bright yellow eyes at her, before letting out a little chuff of air and laying back down. She laughed a bit herself and reached out, running one hand through his thick, soft fur. “Yeah, right, Kosmo. Just a… Just a trick my mind was playing because of stress.” She said it with all the confidence she could muster, hoping to reassure herself through reinforcing the thought.

It worked so well that, later that night, she snuck out onto the beach past the police stationed on watch.

“_This_ is ridiculous. _I’m being ridiculous_. There’s _no way_ that I-!” She rambled under her breath as she carefully jogged to the edge of the shore, the feel of cool water stroking over her feet bittersweet. She gave a quick sweep of the waters in the low light, tightening her grip on her board in preparation of trekking back to her car, but froze when she saw a shape out floating out in the water. She squinted her eyes and tilted her head a bit as the figure turned their head, as if sensing eyes on them, and her breath skipped at the sight. “_Holy shit_, she’s _here_. Even with the place closed up.” She laughed quietly, feeling a strange sense of delirious glee at the prospect of being right.

She raised her hand and waved, hoping they’d recognize it as a friendly gesture, but then cursed under breath when they ducked back under the water. And this time she was certain that the end of a fish tail broke the surface as they dove.

Keira rushed into the water, mounting her board and starting to swim out to where they had been "Ah, wait, no! Hold on!” She called out, trying to use a volume that wouldn’t get her caught but still be heard. She swam out to where they’d disappeared before stopping, sitting up and looking around. She knew they hadn’t been wearing any kind of scuba gear, and they’d been under the surface for far too long for a human to survive. “So then I was _right_? Is she really a-?”

There was a quiet plipping sound behind her, followed by a vaguely familiar voice chirping, “Is your friend okay?” Keira shrieked and tried to wheel around, but instead only ended up sending herself toppling over into the water gracelessly. She was under or less than a second before she caught the impression of light from behind her lids, followed by a pair of hands helping to hoist her back up towards her board. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” The stranger said, voice baring the slightest hint of amusement.

Once she upright on her board again, Keira looked down to see long, wavy lines in the patterns of the very clearly mermaid tail, casting an almost silver glow that made the dark green scales seem to glow like precious gems. “_Holy_-! You’re-! Are you a-?”

“Mermaid?” She asked, quirking one brow and smirking. “I dunno. _You_ tell _me_.” And with that teasing remark, they turned their body a bit and sent the lower portion of their tail plopping into Keira’s lap.

"_Hokay_, whoa. Yeah, this is definitely a… A,“ She trailed, hands hovering above the offered appendage like she would be burnt if she touched them.

”_Tail_?“ The other prompted expectantly.

Taking the other’s blase approach as an invitation, she reached out to gently stroking the thin fins that made up the very end of the tail, fingers trailing up higher to lightly catch on the scales and glowing portions. The scales felt like smooth, rounded stones, though she had a feeling they could still do damage if they were rubbed at the wrong way. Furthermore, while most of the scales seemed to be composed of an emerald green hue, there were stripes of a nearly black purple color of scales as well. Meanwhile, the strip that was lighting up felt more rubbery and slick, but had a beat to it like a pulse. From what she could see, it went all the way up and around their tail to where scales became flesh. "Yes, that. With fins and scales and,” She took a deep breath in, completely mesmerized, “_wow_.”

The mermaid cocked her head. “You sound impressed,”

Keira herself snorted. “Well, uh, _yeah_,” She indicated the tail still settled across her lap and board. When she was only answered buy a blank stare, she indicated more firmly with one hand. “I mean, _look _at this! Your tail is _so beautiful_!”

It was hard to tell in the lighting, but she swore the mermaid actually flushed at that. “It’s really not. I mean, my colors are crazy off from the rest of my school, and if you saw my sister’s tail you’d be floored! Oh, and my bioluminescence doesn’t even have a color, despite me being a full grown,” She explained, one finger prodding at the lit parts along her tail.

“Are you _kidding me_? Your scales may be more subdued colors, but they’re _gorgeous_! Plus, those being a darker color probably comes in handy! I bet you’re great at sneaking around at night when the water gets dark,”

“Well… I _may _be the best night hunter we have,” Keira could hear the slightest bit of embarrassed pride in her voice at the omission.

“Well, see? There you go,” She giggled, gently giving her tail one last pat before she pulled it back into the water. She was glad when the mermaid didn’t seem immediately eager to rush off. “Thank you for helping the other day, by the way. I wanted to make sure to thank you for that in person. It’s been years since the last shark attack on the beach and I wasn’t really sure what to do.”

Her brow knit at her words and she shook her head. “That wasn’t a shark; that was a Galra,”

Keira blinked a bit. “A what now?”

“A Galra. They’re kind of like me and mine, but much larger and much more lethal. Most of us just want to live in peace in our waters, but Galra are violent troublemakers,” She explained, a small growl bubbling up in her throat at the mention of the other sea dwellers.

“They must be a lot larger considering they almost took Shiro’s whole arm off,” She commented, the forming scars on her ankle seeming to throb at the mention. She decided to try swaying things to something that might perk her companion back up. “It was pretty brace of you to fight one of those off for me and Shiro. How did you get it to leave, anyway?”

She brightened up immediately, a smug grin turning up on her lips. “Oh, that was easy! My bioluminescence scales are electrically charged and become active when I feel threatened!” She giggled, indicating the lit stripes again. That would certainly explain why she’d felt a pulse in them; it was an electrical current quietly brewing underneath. “I wrapped my tail around the Galra’s, charged it up, and zapped them something pretty good. Took some scales off of'em.” She shifted closer, settling her crossed arms down on the snout of the board and then resting her head on top. “So, your friend is okay, then?”

Keira smiled and nodded, touched at the mermaid’s concern for Shiro’s well-being. “She’s going to be. I mean, she’s gonna need a lot of rehabilitation, and’ll probably need a prosthetic replacement for her arm, but she’s alive and kicking,”

“I’m glad,” She said with a relieved sigh, eyes closing in satisfaction. Then, she opened them again and stared up curiously at Keira. “So, what exactly are those things you mentioned? Rehabilitation and prosthetic, I think?”

Keira blinked then laughed, leaning her hands against the back of the board and beginning to explain this or that to the mermaid, who she learned was named Katie, about human culture. 


	8. Break Through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Third part that goes along with these two previous fics toying with the idea of Keith and Pidge meeting before the Kerberos mission and investigating the Garrison together. With leads and intel running out, Keith and Pidge take a break from their Garrison investigations to grab a bite and maybe raise their spirits.

She dragged one hand through her hair and let out a loud, infuriated growl. “_How_are they _doing this_?” Her voice came out more as a screech than a shout, which caused her partner to wince a bit. A part of her said she should feel guilty, but the much larger part of her was just pissed. “There’s _no way_ that they’ve upped their security _this much_ in _less than two months_! I shouldn’t be running into _this much trouble_ trying to track down files!”

“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out. We’ve already had smaller breaks in this whole thing,” He said, a bit of frustration starting to tinge the edge of his words. He pushed another pin into the cork board they used with more force than necessary, clearly trying to keep a handle on his own irritation.

She glared at him over her shoulder, reaching up to push her hair out of her face. “We’ve been at this for five weeks and we’ve gotten almost _nowhere_!”

He glared back at her before indicating her laptop with one hand. “We know there’s a missing audio file; that’s a _huge_ step in the right direction!” He glanced back at the cork board to verify where they pin had been placed. It was covered in a maps and photos, with pieces of colored yarn attaching each map to its corresponding photo. She could see the familiar spark of determination in his dark eyes as he observed all they’d discovered so far. “It’s only a matter of time before we find it.”

She scoffed, feeling no where near as certain as he did. “Unless they completely wiped the hard drive. They wouldn’t want potentially damning evidence like that just sitting pretty for someone with a little bit of hacking skill to find. It’s a huge liability that they can’t afford,” She grumbled, closing her laptop and shoving it aside. For as much as she wanted to keep going, a part of her felt so tired. She’d been working tirelessly since two and a half weeks ago, when she’d first found the clue in some confidential emails that there was a final audio log picked up from the Kerberos mission. “The Garrison is run by a bunch of assholes, but they’re _clever assholes_, Keith.”

Keith stared at her before sighing, setting his hands on his hips and looking down at his boots. “Maybe we need a break to help clear our heads. We can get some food or something,"He suggested, lifting his gaze again to look at her. She didn’t look over at him, though, and instead decided to focus on the tiny hole starting to appear in the old socks she was wearing. "Wanna go to the new Denny’s they opened up?”

“Whatever,” She sighed, stretching her legs out and getting up.

She toed her sneakers on while she pulled her hair back in a messy ponytail, wanting to just get it over with. Her stomach roiled quietly, clearly thrilled at the idea of food, but she didn’t want to yet. She wanted to stay and work more, try to find an answer. If it was there, surely she could find it with a little more time! But no, just because she was feeling a little frustrated, Keith decided they needed to stop any progress! Did he just not care about the fact that the Garrison was spitting outright lies about what had happened to Shiro, Matt and her Dad? She’d noticed he seemed more interested in whatever strange energy reading he’d been tracing through the desert.

She was silent the whole ride to Denny’s staring at the window, stewing in her resentment at Keith for dragging her out.

Despite it being well after midnight, there was a modest crowd at the restaurant. Not enough people that it looked like they’d need to worry about waiting long for service, but certainly more than she’d been anticipating. Normally when they felt the need for post-dinner-pre-breakfast pancakes, they were the only diners in the place. They had to wait a moment while the server dropped some drinks off at one table before being greeted properly.

He offered them a small smile. He seemed a bit tired, but the smile was still genuine. “Good evening. Just two for you?” He asked as he reached to grab two menus.

“Yes, please. Thanks,” Keith said gently. They were led to the dining room and were given a corner booth, with an empty booth between them and another pair of dinners. Pidge immediately scooted in as far over she could, glaring out the window again. While she did that, Keith ordered their drinks and opened his own menu. “You know, sitting there and pouting won’t accomplish anything, Katie.”

She looked over and glared harder, miffed to find he hadn’t even lifted his eyes from the page to address her. “Maybe if I was at my computer I’d be able to do something,”

“Patience yields focus, you know,” He commented casually, tilting his head a bit as he looked over an item. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at his words and how completely cliche they were. Where had he heard that from, she wondered. The server returned with their drinks and then headed off again at Keith saying they needed more time. She pulled her own drink over and took a sip, unsurprised at the taste of Dr. Pepper. He knew her so well. “Hmm. If I order some mozzarella sticks, would you have some?”

“Where did you hear the hoakey nonsense?” She asked as she stirred her ice with the straw.

He looked confused, finally tearing his gaze from the menu to look at her. “Well, I’m not hungry enough to eat a full meal _and_ a whole order of mozzarella sticks on my own. Plus, I know you like them, too, so it just made sense to ask,”

“What? No, not about the mozzarella sticks,” She said, taking another sip before opening her own menu. She may as well figure out what she wanted for herself, too. “That thing you said just now, about patience and what not?”

“Patience yields focus?” He repeated, clearly confused.

“Yeah, that. Where did you hear that from?”

“Oh, Shiro used to say it all the time, when I’d get pissy about stuff with the Garrison. It… It’s helped me a lot through this whole situation, remembering what he said back then,” He admitted, suddenly seeming uncomfortable. He tore his gaze down, swiped up his water, and started chugging it, as if trying to wash the taste out of his mouth.

“Oh,” She trailed off, looking away for a moment before looking back over at him. And, this time, she _really_ looked at him. She had enough time of knowing him to be able to read his subtle gestures. One hand was gripping his water like he was trying to shatter it, the other drumming along the table. His eyes had returned to fix on the menu, but they weren’t registering the words on the page, cloudy with pain. Her own heart lurched, knowing that look and that pain all too well. She looked back down at her drink as shame swallowed her whole. “I’m sorry.”

He perked up in surprise and looked at her, blinking rapidly to recompose himself. “For what?”

“You’re going through all of this junk, too, and sometimes I forget that. I need to be more aware that I’m not going through this all alone, that you’re trying just as hard as I am,” She admitted, peeking up at him as she spoke.

"It’s okay; it’s not like I don’t occasionally forget myself,” He said, offering her a small half-smile in return. Some of the shame wiped away and she squared her shoulders a little bit more as he returned his attention to the menu, turning the page and looking at the dinner options. “When we get back to the house, we should watch a movie or something. Oh, or we could listen to music and just veg out.”

“You mean like we used to do on the Garrison roof?” She laughed.

“Yeah, only way better, because we can play the music as loud as we want,” He said with a sly smirk.

“Yeah, but can you even get your stereo up there? Since, you know, you don’t just use streaming sites like _the rest_ of modern society,” She teased, peering over the different breakfast options. She wanted the mozzarella sticks, but pancakes also sounded really good.

He laughed back and took another, smaller sip from his water. “Oh, please! Your streaming sites are only good when you have internet connection. Having a physical copy of the album to use is a great approach; especially with bands or albums that are particularly great,” He retorted.

She opened her mouth to respond before a thought occurred to her, causing her to gasp. “Keith, _you genius_!” She squealed, reaching across the table to grab his face and pull him closer.

He looked stunned and stared back at her, blinking slowly, before chuckling. “Ah, made you see the light of day?”

“No, what you just said! That it’s good to have a _physical copy_ of something, in case you _can’t_ access it otherwise! That would also be a great approach when dealing with sensitive materials, such as _classified files_ from a computer? Burning a physical copy to keep tucked away somewhere safe, so that you still have a record of it, to maybe assure that _people snooping around on your computer can’t find it_?” She pressed further, lowering her voice as she spoke her last few words, not wanting to risk being overheard. They hadn’t encountered anyone from the Garrison in their time off base, but she was still a fan of being safe rather than sorry.

He sucked in a quiet breath, eyes widening. “It’s a huge liability they can’t afford, but they also can’t risk _not_ having it, in case of the higher ups wanting it,” He breathed out.

“_Exactly_,” She hummed, letting go of his face and slumping back in her seat. Her lips turned up in a grin. “Celebratory mozzarella sticks?”

“Fuck it, let’s go all out. Celebratory mozzarella sticks _and_ celebratory milkshakes,” He said with a smirk of his own.


	9. End of an Era

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sort of “What If” scenario after S6E5, in which Keith takes longer to regroup with the rest of Team Voltron and the consequences are greater than he anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Grievous Injury to Multiple Characters, Disfigurement, Mutilation of Mechanical, Sentient Felines, Angst.

Battling Shiro had been one of the worst experiences of his life, but he was grateful he’d been able to save him.

He was exhausted, but he knew he couldn’t let up. He had left the rest of the team to fight Lotor, and while he had faith in their fighting capabilities, he’d known they’d need Voltron. Black Lion seemed to struggle with creating a wormhole for them, though. He couldn’t get an exact answer from her outside of her being unable to reach the other Lion’s through the shared bond. He tried to reach out to the other Paladins’ but received no answer. That sent a red flag up for him but he reminded himself that he knew the others, that they could handle themselves and that it was probably just a matter of him being too far from them.

His first concern was getting Shiro to the Castle Ship safely, and then he and the team could deal with Lotor.

When they finally arrived to where the other Paladins were at, something felt… Off. It wasn’t far from where the battle had been held, but the only sign he had that the other’s had been there were bits of floating debris. Lotor and the Lions were nowhere out in the open and he was only able to locate the others because he ran a scan for signs of life. The Castle was settled on a sizeable asteroid but seemed to be powered down, given the bright blue lights along the exterior were out.

The inside of the Castle was also cast in a low glow, barely able to see anything. He wondered if the Castle was running on reserve power. Black settled into her usual perch in the hanger and he walked out with Shiro, spotting three shadowy figures converged at the other end. He hollered for help and was approached by a disheveled-looking Coran after a moment. Judging by height comparisons, he deduced that the other two figures he’d been talking to were Pidge and Allura. Coran exchanged a glance with the other two before heading over to take Shiro, barely even acknowledging Keith as he did. Reassured that the other man would be fine, he headed over to the two figures, squaring his shoulders in preparation for a briefing.

His heart plummet when he saw the state the two female Paladin’s were in.

“What… What _happened _to you two?” He gasped, eyes shifting from one to the other. The two had clearly been in the healing pods recently, but there were scars left. Along the left side of Allura’s face, at the very corner of her mouth and disappearing down the collar of her bodysuit was the star-like scar he’d come to recognize from an explosion. Additionally, her Paladin armor was scuffed and soiled with scorch marks and blood stains. Pidge’s armor was in a similar state, but what got him was the damage done to her face. Pidge was without her glasses and was spotting a long, jagged scar across her right eye. He wasn’t sure if she could still see out of that eye but she was certainly still able to glare him down something fierce.

“What do you _think_ happened? We got our _asses kicked every which way to Sunday_!” Pidge snarled, taking a step towards him.

“But… You had the Lions, and Lotor only had three ships,” He argued weakly, looking between the two frantically.

Allura seemed a bit more composed than Pidge, but her own eyes were narrowed in a glare at him. “Lotor’s ship is made of the same material as the Voltron Lions, and also has the ability to combine. He had all three parts necessary to form his Robeast, Sincline. We had four of the Lions; without the Black Lion, however, we could not form Voltron,” She explained, her fists clenching at her side. “We barely managed to weaken him enough to gain us some time to escape. He will need time to recover as well, but how long is still a huge uncertainty.”

Keith nodded slowly, letting his mind slip away from everything with Shiro and focus on the matter at hand. “So then we can try and get the jump on him while he’s weak. What we need to do is regroup, form Voltron and go after him. That’s fine, we can do that,”

“No, we _can’t_,” Pidge growled, “because we’re _down two teammates_!”

“You mean Hunk and Lance? They’re just tending to business in the Castle, right?”

"They are in the healing pods now, but… We are unsure how long it will be before they are in piloting shape,” Allura chimed in, eyes falling to look at the ground. “They took the brunt of it, given Red’s speed and Yellow’s defenses.”

“Then… Then while we wait for them, we can get things in order. We can send word to the rebellion to be on high alert in case-!”

Pidge scoffed. “We _already did_,”

He stared at her for a moment before letting out a quiet breath. “Right. Of course you two thought of that already,” He said. He should have known that in a dire situation like this, these two would have the best sense of prioritizing what needed to be handled first. “Let’s jump ahead to repairing the other Lions then.”

Another frustrated snarl came from the Green Paladin. “We _can’t_! Lotor did a number on the Lions to the point I don’t know _how or where_ to even _start _with fixing them! Assuming that I even _can_!”

Keith flinched at her words, looking back at the darkened hanger. He could see the silhouettes of the Lions, but he realized that he hadn’t actually gotten a look at them. “What… What do you mean?”

Pidge looked over at Allura before nodding. With a sad sigh, the other clapped her hands and the hanger lights flickered on, though a bit dimmer than usual, affirming his suspicion that the Castle was running on reserve powers. In this silhouette, however, he could see the four other Lions, battered and broken. There were huge, gaping wounds on all of them, their eyes completely vacant. Even the parts of them that included exposed wires were no longer sparking.

He swallowed around a lump growing in his throat at the sight before him. “Then… Then we need-!”

Pidge surged forward again and shoved him, causing him to stumble back and turn to face her. “_No_! What we _need_ is to have a leader who _actually cares_ about what’s at stake here! It’s _your fault_ all of this has happened!”

“What… How the Hell is it my fault?” He snapped back. There was a bit of anger in him, but it felt somehow false.

She squared her shoulders and met his gaze, sparking like a live wire of fury. “We needed Voltron but we couldn’t form it without the head! _You knew_ Lotor was a threat! Hell, _you_ had more of an idea of what was going on than the _rest of us_, considering _you found the Altean colony_! And even _knowing _that, _knowing_ how much of a struggle it would be for us _even with Voltron_, you took Black Lion and _disappeared_! Because you just _had_ to go blasting through space to chase after Shiro, huh? _No regard _for the _rest of us_ or how _we’d handle_! For fuck’s sake, Hunk and Lance could _fucking die_, but do _you care_? _No_! Your first order of business was making sure we knew you brought Shiro back! You didn’t give a _damn_ about what happened to the _rest of us_!” Her words cut deep, but her tone remained a subdued howl. A part of him wished she would scream and shout at him. He knew how to handle her when she was like that. But this? When she was cutting to the heart of the matter with cold, hard facts? It hurt. “A long time ago, you told me the lives of two people weren’t more important than the rest of the universe. But that was a lie, _right_? The universe wasn’t worth risking for the lives of _those_ two people! But if it’s for _Shiro_? The universe can _burn the fuck up_ if it’s to save Takashi Shirogane!”

“Pidge,” Allura said, voice soft but urgent as she rushed over, settling a hand on the other’s shoulder.

She wretched free, not letting her eyes leave him. “No, it’s the truth! Because _he_couldn’t put his personal feelings aside to deal with a threat, the universe is _doomed_!” She gestured around her wildly at the mangled remains of the other four Lions all around them, lifeless eyes watching on like decaying corpses. “Do you see this? What Lotor was able to do to us without Voltron?”

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly. “This… This isn’t my fault,” He whispered.

Allura shook her head. “You are right. While your actions have contributed, there was more happening with this situation. Lotor had access to information about Voltron that is normally reserved for Paladins only. Thanks to Shiro,” She said, a touch of bitterness in her voice, “and myself believing he was genuine in his desire for peace. We each had a hand to play in this as well, but to say you are blameless is naive”

Pidge stared him down before looking back at the Lion’s, gaze fixing on Green. “We’d need another comet to fix this amount of damage. Coran is making an attempt to see if we can track one down, but the likelihood of finding one is slim. Because _you_, _as our leader_, made the _wrong call_,”

His eyes snapped open and he wheeled around to look at Black Lion, still poised behind him. “We… We still have the Black Lion. We can figure something out in the meantime,” He insisted, taking a cautious step towards her. “Right, Black?”

Through the bond between the two of them, he felt a swirl of emotion. She was focused in on the unresponsive four Lions, yowling and pleading for them to respond, to call back at her. However, she received nothing, and he could feel it swelling into an immense pain deep inside of her. Her attention shifted over to him and suddenly her form lifted, roaring at him before he was forced out of her mind, away from her thoughts and emotions.

He stumbled back and took in a sharp, pained breath, the force with which she was pushed him away from her feeling like a stabbing jolt to his ribcage. “B-Black…?” He stammered out, trying to reach out to her again but receiving nothing in return.

“Sounds like you’ve fallen out of her favor,” Pidge commented, her tone extremely casual. She walked a bit closer and swiping the black bayard from him. “If you aren’t seen as a Paladin of Voltron, you won’t be needing this, then.”

"W-Wait!“ He stammered, reaching to try and swipe it back from her again. She growled and moved to block him with the hand holding his bayard.

And then, in a flicker of movement, the black bayard took the shape of her hookshot, pointed right at him.


	10. Simple and Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some shameless, cute domestic nonsense because I am weak for post-war happy, domestic Kidge.

Some days Katie “Pidge” Kogane swore that the universe was out to get her.

Work had been absolutely insane all week. Between full audits being done on each and every department and a grand total of seventeen people up and walking out, the superiors had been up in arms about every little thing. Admiral Walker, who oversaw her department, had been on the warpath all week about everything becoming the textbook example of what the auditors would be expecting. Walker had been so strict and critical, that even Matt had been on the verge of a breakdown. She’d had to stay late and come in early, putting in ridiculous amounts of time getting things so painfully organized she felt sick.

Pidge liked order and being able to easily locate things, but the expectations the Garrison had were just ridiculous.

When she walked in the door, she’d been greeted by the smell of bacon. Kaden and Newt darted over to greet her, with Kaden taking her work laptop and Newt pulling on her hand. At the stove top, Keith had pulled out the little stool and was having Amber help him, gently guiding her through flipping the bacon over. There was also a bowl with what she knew were blueberries settled beside another, slightly larger bowl. Ari squealed in her high chair when she saw her, pounding her little hands on her tray.

They ended up having blueberry pancakes for dinner, which stirred a little flutter in her heart. She’d had to leave so early the last few days she wasn’t able to have dinner with him and the kids like usual and she recalled lamenting that to him while she tried to keep from nodding off at her computer. After dinner, Keith had been adamant about taking care of the dinner dishes, with the kids helping out. Amber organized what went in the dishwasher, while the boys dried what had to be hand-washed. After that, he coerced her into soaking in the tub, which helped her destress.

When she got out, hair tied up in a towel and bundled up in her favorite robe, he already had all four kids in their pajamas and was reading for them. She peered in around the doorway to the living room, where they were all gathered. Keith was sitting on the couch, holding a book up with one hand. Amber was sitting with her legs crossed, holding a bouncing Aria in her arms. Kaden was splayed out on his belly, holding his head up with his hands and grinning. Newt, meanwhile, was spread out on his back like a dead body, tilting his head back to stare at the book as well.

“Would you like them in a house? Would you like them with a mouse?” Keith read, lifting the volume and tenor of his voice to something more upbeat. She smiled fondly. He always got so into reading them their nightly stories. “I do not like them in a house! I do not like them with a mouse! I do not like them here or there! I do not like them anywhere! I do not like green eggs and ham! I do not like them, Sam-I-Am!” He continued on, dropping his tenor and making his voice more gruff, sounding sulky.

She crept back to their bedroom to get dressed proper and work through some tangles in her hair. She could hear the kids squealing eagerly as she did.

She remembered back when she ad Keith first found out they were expecting Amber, with how excited he’d been. A family was all he had ever wanted, for as long as he could remember. There had been times, however, where he admitted to being unsure. He didn’t have a large, loving and involved family like Pidge did. He had their friends, of course, but in regards to actual blood relatives? The only one he had left was his mother, who hadn’t been involved with him when he was a child. She had reassured him that as long as he approached raising their child with love, everything would be just fine.

And, as she had predicted, she was right. Keith was an incredibly thoughtful and loving father. She felt so lucky to be with a partner who loved she and their kids so much.

After she was done, she headed back downstairs to find that Keith and the kids were gone. It was her turn to put the kids to bed, so she had figured that he’d just have them sit out with him until she was done. She heard quiet footsteps upstairs, coming from Kaden’s room, if she reasoned a guess. She headed into the kitchen, deciding to start a little something to repay him for everything he had done for her.

She perked up and smiled when a pair of arms wrap around her waist. “Hey,” She said, tilting her head to press a kiss to his temple. “You got the kiddos in bed for me.”

“Mmhmm,” He hummed, closing his eyes and nuzzling her gently.

She indicated the pot she was leisurely whisking. “I made some fresh hot chocolate for the two of us,”

He cracked one eye and flashed her a small smile. “You’re a Godsend,”

“You’re the real hero of the day,” She laughed, carefully turning around so she could kiss him proper. “How did I get lucky to have such a wonderful husband?”

“Penance from the universe for all the bull you had to deal with when you were younger?”

“Best karmic returns ever!” She sang happily. He laughed and pressed a quick smooch to her cheeks, rewarding him with another giggle from her. “Thanks again for putting them to bed. I know it was supposed to be my turn but apparently Admiral Walker doesn’t understand just how much math goes into the programming of a particle barrier device or that having to alphabetize the schematics for such a device is incredibly detrimental to the building of it.”

“Sounds about right for a Garrison official,” He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Watch yourself now, pal. You’re married to a Garrison official,”

His grin shifted, becoming more of a smirk, and a mischievous glint came to his eyes. “Garrison official on the streets, Paladin of Voltron in t-!”

“Oh, my God! You’ve been hanging out with Lance again, haven’t you?” She cackled, shifting to give the cocoa a quick stir. She then turned the burner off and moved the pot aside to cool a bit before she served.

“I only have, like, five friends! What do you expect?” He teased, leaning over to pepper kisses along her jawline.

“I expect you to mind your manners,” She murmured back.

“And if I refuse?” He goaded lightly.

She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a small voice behind Keith calling out, “Mommy? Daddy?”

She jumped and let out a little yelp, peering around his shoulder at the tot standing a few feet away. His head was cocked to the side curiously, blinking slowly. “Newt! You’re supposed to be in bed!” She squeaked out.

He scowled a little bit. “But I’m dehydrated! I need a little drink,” He said, moving the scowl into more of a pout.

Keith chuckled, detangling himself from Pidge and heading towards the cabinet where they kept the kid’s cups at. “Okay, buddy. I’ll come get you a little cup of water and then tuck you back in,” He said evenly.

“Mmhmm! Thank you, Daddy!” Newt said happily, following Keith to the fridge.

Pidge herself chuckled, pulling out two mugs and pouring the drinks for herself and Keith.


	11. Rough and Tumble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith squared his shoulders as he approached them proper. “Leave her alone,” he cut in, settling one hand on his hip. He had a switchblade in his back pocket and he was ready to whip it out on these filthy pigs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Sexual Harassment

Moving to the city of Olkarion had been far from exciting to him. He wasn’t a big fan of large crowds or interacting with other people in general. Even in the small town of Arus, where they’d lived before, he found himself getting exhausted by just how often he had to deal with the other people in town. Well, it was more that he got tired of dealing with the odd looks he got.

But an old friend of his Mom’s had offered her a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And, because he felt like she needed a new start, he reassured her that he would be fine with the move.

Because Olkarion was a huge city, the concept of anonymity was nice, but even still he could feel eyes on him at all times. It was the same looks he’d gotten back in Arus; frightened second-glances and suspicious glares. People assuming that, just because he rode a hoverbike and wore a leather jacket, that meant that he was going to do something shady.

The looks were particularly bad as he exited a convenience store, a slushie in hand. A quick glance across the street was all it took for him to understand why. There were two leather-wearing thugs looming over a petite young girl. Her short, light brown hair was pushed out of her face with a green headband, a short-sleeved button up white blouse, and what seemed to be a suspender-style skirt on. She had the foresight to wear some boots, at least, and had a messenger bag tossed over her other shoulder, but she seemed far too guised up to be wandering around so late at night. And a girl dress like that, walking the streets alone, was sadly a prime target for scum like the guys crowding around her. “_Again_ with this bullshit? Great,” he groused, taking a sip from his drink and starting to head over. He figured his bike would be fine for a few seconds while he dealt with that problem.

Maybe if he chased those thugs off, it would endear him a little bit to the people observing.

They were noisy as he made his way over, picking up the conversation as he started to cross the street. Thug One leaned closer, pressing one hand above the girl’s head and leaning far too close into her personal space. “Little girl like you shouldn’t be wanderin’ around all _alone_,” He said with a sneer on his face.

“Specially not this late at night. _Bad things_ could happen to such a _sweet lil’ thing_,” Thug Two chimed in, letting out small, wheezy chuckles like some kind of old, excited hound dog.

The girl pinned the two with a glare before moving to keep walking. “Thanks for the advice, but I can handle myself _just fine_,” she said coolly.

Thug Two hopped over to step right in her path, causing her to stop short. “Ya know where ya are, don’t cha?”

“I’m walking down 5th to Hemingway, last time _I _checked,” She huffed back, lifting her wrist and checking something on her watch. Keith wagered it was probably one of those fancy ones that could be attached to a mobile phone.

The two creeps seemed rather unfazed by her indifference, though they started busting up at her response.

“Can you _believe_ this brood?” Thug One howled, an arm around his waist and his head thrown back.

“Either smart-mouthed or not smart enough!” Thug Two choked out between his own laughing fit. Thug Two reached out to grab her by the chin and pull her face closer to his. “Look, _sweetheart_, you’re in the territory of the Galra gang. Ya don’t get to just wander about all wily-nily.”

She wretched out of his grasp, lips pulling back in a furious snarl. “The street is _public property,_ _dipshit_. You and your little posse _shrieking like toddlers_ about how something belongs to you _doesn’t_ mean it _actually does_,” She sneered. “Also, _don’t_ call me sweetheart _or _put your _grubby hands_ on me. I don’t need people mistaking me for having the dirt standards needed to hook up with a _sleazeball like you_.”

That seemed to set the two thugs off, their mocking personalities giving way to pure fury.

“Listen here, _ya little bitch_!” Thug One snapped, reaching out to grab a hold of her arm.

Keith squared his shoulders as he approached them proper. “Leave her alone,” he cut in, settling one hand on his hip. He had a switchblade in his back pocket and he was ready to whip it out on these filthy pigs.

Thug One’s hand froze and he cocked his head, tilting his head aside to spit at the ground. “Who the fuck are you? Her boyfriend?”

“I don’t even _know _this guy,” she cut in, tone clipped, before wheeling her glare over to him “and I’d appreciate _you_ minding your _own damn business_. I can take care of myself, thank you very much.”

He blinked before holding his hand up. “Okay, my bad. I’ll leave it to you, then,” he hummed, taking another sip of his slushie and taking a step back.

She visibly relaxed at him backing down easily and offered a small smile. “Thank you,” She turned her attention back to the two thugs, gaze shifting slowly between the other two. “Now, as for the pair of you, buzz off. I don’t have the time to waste on dopey little minions like _you_.”

“Who the Hell do you think you’re callin’ _dopey_?” Thug One snapped angrily.

Thug Two snarled himself, raising one fist and beginning to crack his knuckles. “I think it’s about time we teach her a _fucking lesson_!”

The girl let out a small sigh and shook her head, reaching over to flip open her messenger bag. “Well, I tried to be nice, but I guess I’ll have to let Rover have at you,” she commented. She pulled out a small, triangular object and pushed a button in the center. It whirled to life, a pale green glow emanating from a few grooves throughout it. She lowered her hand and it remained in the air, spinning once before turning to the little button she’d pushed was facing her. She indicated the two gang-bangers with one hand, an amused grin slowly turning up on her lips. “Go loose, buddy.”

The little droid let out a small chirp, before the coloration changed to a bright red and it began sounding off an alarm. It turned to face Thug Two, zoomed over, and shot a strange white foam right into his eyes. He howled and stumbled back, trying to wipe it clear, but it seemed to stick to his face and fingers. Then, when Thug One ran over to try and help, the droid fired out two small prongs, the two of them sticking into the left side of his jaw, and zapped him with some kind of electrical current. It was high enough that Keith could actually smell some of his facial hair burning.

The two took off running, with the droid chasing them with angry-sounding little beeps.

“Wow,” Keith whistled, letting out a long whistle.

“Told you I could take care of myself,” she preened. She then looked at him and cocked her head curiously. “Though, I’ll admit, didn’t expect you to be coming over to help me; thought you were going to turn out to be one of their buddies. Then again, I appreciate that you turned out to be the type to stick his neck out on the line for me.”

He shrugged. “Eh, it’s fine. Everyone leers at me because I apparently look like a thug,”

“No offense, but around here leather jackets and denim jeans are kind of the signature look of trouble makers,” she pointed out, reaching over to close her bag again. A moment later, her little droid hovered back over, gently bopping against her cheek. The little thing had gone back to the more subdued green hue form when it had first been booted up. “Good boy, Rover.”

“None taken. I’m used to it,” he said, taking another sip from his drink.

She nodded in understanding, bright hazel eyes softening on him. “I know how that feels. People, as you just saw, do that to me all the time, too,”

“Guess I kinda fell into that camp myself, huh?" 

"It’s fine; I did the same to you, too,” She gave Rover one more little pat before looking at him curiously. “So I take it you’re new to these parts?”

He nodded, starting to head back to cross the street. “Yeah, just moved here about two weeks ago,”

She moved to follow him, her droid hovering above her shoulder. “Well, in exchange for your attempt at chivalry, allow me to give you a tour. I’ll show you all the best places to go to get anything you need; good food, electronics, you name it,” she said with a bright grin.

He chuckled and nodded. “Sounds good. I have a spare helmet; you cool riding on a bike?” He asked, indicating the red beauty still waiting for him. 

Her eyes lit up. “Are you _kidding_? I’ve always wanted to ride one!”


	12. Keeping Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is worried that he thinks Pidge is upset about things and refusing to talk to him about it. As such, he decides to do some investigation of his own.

The points where he got to relax were far and few between since dedicating himself solely to the Blade of Marmora, but he found he appreciated them all the more. He used to spend his free time with Shiro, but things had been strained between them ever since he’d opted into focusing on things with the Blade. As such, he had to find new places to linger when he was on the Castle of Lions. And, while Lance had been slightly more bearable about having him as a sparring partner, and Hunk was always eager for the extra hands when he was baking or working on repairs on rebel fighters, he ended up finding himself lurking the corridors with Pidge the most.

In her, she found a kindred spirit.

He had voiced to her some of the fears and insecurities he felt when it came to things between he and Shiro, admitted that he had backed off and stepped down because he didn’t think he was the kind of leader the team needed. Pidge said she thought that was an excuse, but that she admitted that none of them were really ones to judge. The team as a whole had noticed a shift in Shiro’s attitude and priorities, which had them all alarmed. None of them said anything, however, out of fear of the fight that could come from it. A part of Keith had been grateful in knowing he could confide in Pidge and not a word he breathed would make it to the others.

So when he noticed her behaving very strangely, he had been a little hurt.

The idea that she was keeping secrets from him had left him a little disheartened. After all, he had told her about his own struggles. He did some careful snooping around, asking the others subtle things to try and get information. None of the others seemed to have any insight as to what was bothering her, though Hunk had made an interesting comment about how she’d gone with him to the Balmera recently. She claimed it was simple curiosity as to how the place was managing, but that Shay revealed Pidge seemed to have smuggled a decent amount of smaller crystals out with her. They weren’t the kind that were particularly useful or anything, and the Balmerans would have been happy to part with them willingly, but it was just… strange. Which only caused his suspicion to be piqued, given that it wasn’t something she should have been so secretive about.

He found her making her way back to her room, the bag that housed the stones pressed close to her chest. “What are you doing?” he asked bluntly as he followed after her.

She responded by squealing and fumbling with the bag, wheeling around to face him. When she saw it was him, though, her whole body sagged in relief. “Oh, Keith. It’s just you,”

“What are you doing?” he repeated.

“Uh… Going to my room, obviously,” she said with a small laugh, indicating the door with a jerk of her thumb. He noticed her moving to tuck the bag of stones behind her back.

“Any reason you’re taking a bunch of Balmeran stones in with you?”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m doing research,”

“Hunk says you took them without asking or mentioning anything to Shay or anyone else,”

“They’re just tiny ones!”

“So then why didn’t you just ask for them?”

She growled and indicated him with the sweep of one hand. “And all of a sudden _you’re_ Mister Rules R. Cool?”

He scoffed. “No, it’s just that you’re clearly doing something suspicious,”

“I am not,” she grumbled out, but her expression had become something more akin to a pout, which was proof enough that he was right.

“Are too,”

“Are not,”

“Then let me into your room,”

Her eyes widened, gaze falling from him to her door. She then looked back at the small bag of stones in her hands and then sighed. There was a look in her eye that he’d never seen before. He wanted to say it was resentment, but it wasn’t something she seemed to be directing at him. He hadn’t seen this kind of hesitation in her before and it only worried him further.

Finally, she ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “Ugh, fine. But this stays between you and me, got it?” She jabbed a finger into his chest to make her point more known. He nodded and watched as she huffed again, nodding herself before turning and opening her door. She led him in, making sure it locked after them.

Inside, it was much cleaner than he remembered it being, but then he heard a small, soft noise. It sounded like a mix between a squeak and a bark. Then, he noticed a smaller pillow on her bed, with a strange pastel looking lump of fluff on it. There was a flicker of movement and he realized that it was alive, appearing to be some kind of off-colored chinchilla.. It slowly unfurled itself, uncurling its tail to reveal a small orb at the end. It looked like it had been cracked, but had some kind of ointment smeared over the crack. The little creature looked like it had a little white mask on, and had dark blue pupil-less eyes. It’s ears perked up and it tilted its head to look at him, opening its mouth to let out the little noise he’d heard before.

“Hey there, Velvet. Are you hungry?” Pidge cooed, walking over and opening up the bag.

Immediately the little creature looked over and started to move, as if it meant to waddle over. Keith noticed that, outside of just the cracked tail orb, one of its little front paws was missing.

“Velvet?” He asked quietly, carefully stepping closer as Pidge sat on her bed and gently picked the little critter up.

“That’s what I named her. Because her fur is so soft,” she explained, setting Velvet down in her lap and pulling a small stone out. She held it out and the creature leaned forward, setting her good forepaw on Pidge’s finger and starting to nibble on the stone, crunching away at it as if it were a carrot. “We found her a few weeks back, in the rubble of a town. The planet didn’t have the resources needed to help her, and Shiro told me that she’d figure out how to fend for herself. But… I couldn’t just leave her out there all alone. Her species isn’t indigenous to that planet, so being left there would have been a death sentence.”

“She was on a planet she wasn’t indigenous to?”

“She was probably a pet to one of the Galran commanders. I’m just going to take care of her while she adjusts to not having the paw and her little tail thing heals up. Then, I’m planning to return her to her home planet,” She explained, gently petting her head.

Velvet let out a little trilling noise of delight, pressing up into her touch.

“And you think Shiro would be angry if he found out?” He asked, reaching out to offer his hand to Velvet as he sat next to Pidge. She perked up and gave him a cautious sniff before settling down, the closest he was going to get to an invitation. He reached out and gently scratched along her chubby, fluffy cheeks. Her fur really was incredibly soft and soothing to touch.

“I _know_ he’d be angry if he found out. I just… It wasn’t right to leave her there, all alone and scared,” She said quietly.

A part of him thought that there may be more to her kindness than just seeing something small and vulnerable. Perhaps a part of her felt a kinship to the small creature? “Your secret is safe with me,” he said with quiet conviction.

She looked up at him before offering a small smile. “Thanks, Keith,” She said softly, letting her head drop to rest on his shoulder.


	13. Collector's Edition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Kolivan assigns Keith to go collect an important artifact the Blade has been tracking, he’s initially excited because it means he gets to spend time with Pidge. But when he gets a third and fourth wheel tacked on? Not so much.

Despite his parting from Team Voltron, Keith was grateful that he still had times where he could collaborate with them. With how much they could all grate on his nerves, he still cared about them and valued their skills. Lance, despite being brash and arrogant, was a fast learner and rather skilled tactician, when the mood struck him. Plus, he was rather skilled at rolling with a last-minute plan pretty well. And Hunk, though a bit of a coward, was a powerhouse with a heart of gold. He would put his own fear aside to protect innocent people. Allura, despite being royalty, was far from someone who feared the idea of getting involved in the fray. Her diplomacy skills were just as honed as he fighting capabilities, which he couldn’t help but admire. He and Shiro had a history and he knew his qualifications quite well. Excluding him, he had to say that Pidge was probably the person he enjoyed interacting and working with on the team the most.

And that wasn’t just because the two of them had started a relationship underneath everyone else’s noses.

So, when Kolivan asked him if he’d mind working with Voltron for the mission, he had jumped at the chance. He suggested Pidge specifically, since it sounded like it was a more covert operation. Green Lion would be incredibly useful in the situation, and he wasn’t going to complain about getting some much needed one-on-one time with Pidge. They hadn’t been able to take the time and catch up on what was new in each other’s lives lately, after all.

Instead, he’d been crammed into the Green Lion with Pidge, Hunk and Lance. And forced to suffer through Lance singing the entirety of “99 Bottles” two and a half times.

“Okay, see, _this_ seems a lot more like a potential black market!” Lance said, gesturing widely around them at the small shops and booths set up around them. All three of them had been decked out in Blade garb to help keep them from standing out. The last thing they needed was to be wandering around a market like this with the three decked out in their full Paladin armor.

Hunk was a few paces behind him, looking incredibly uncomfortable as he peered around at the various liens around them. “Is that _really_ something we should be celebrating about? Aren’t black markets supposed to be, you know, _super sketchy_?”

“Considering there’s a Blade informant around here, doing Blade tasks? Probably,“ Pidge chimed in. Then, with a small huff that Keith knew meant she was smirking, she turned and walked backwards along. "Probably _super_dangerous, too. I mean, Kolivan said the agent that that agent they assigned out here had to be put through _rigorous, intense torture training_.”

“Wait, what? Nobody told me _that_!”

Keith could feel his eye twitch as he peered around himself, trying to look for any sign of a Blade nearby. “Pidge, stop trying to freak Hunk out,” he said flatly. He then tilted his head back and to address the other man. “She’s exaggerating, Hunk.”

“_Exaggerating_? So he _did_ have to be put through torture training?”

Lance snorted a bit, a clear indication that he was going to join in on Pidge’s game, too. “Wouldn’t surprise me. I mean, have you ever actually listened to some of Nihaar’s stories?”

“Oh, did she tell you about the Blade who ripped one of his own teeth out?”

“_Oh God_!” Hunk choked out.

“Would you three knock it off?” Keith barked as he wheeled around to face them. They all skid to a stop and turned to look at him. Part of the problem with having Lance, Hunk or both of them around was that the three of them tended to feed on one another. If one of them was riffing on one of the others? Then the third one had to join in so it was a game of two against one. It was exhausting in situations such as this. He couldn’t see their faces, but he took comfort in knowing they were paying attention to him. “Look, Nihaar tends to embellish some of the stuff she’s seen. I’ve been working with the Blade a while and, aside from the initial trials I went through, I haven’t had to do any extra training like pulling out teeth or being tortured or _whatever else_ you’re thinking goes on.”

“Well of course Keith would say that,” Lance said, leaning over to faux-whisper to Hunk “since he’s had to take the Blade of Marmora vow of silence.”

“That or they put a device in his head to control his thought process,” Pidge chimed in, her voice surprisingly chipper. “Did you see any surgical scars by either of his temples? That’s how we’ll know for sure.”

“Oh, God, I’m pretty sure I saw one!”

“I am _so_ sick of _all of you_,” Keith snarled lowly, throwing his hands up and turning to stomp away.

“Aw, Keef~! Wait up!” Pidge called, all giggles as she chased after him. It took her a moment to catch up, given he was taller and had gotten a head start. “Chill out, dude. We’re just teasing.”

“What you’re doing is being _obnoxious_ and making this mission _way_ harder than it needs to be! _And _attracting tons of attention!” He hissed out quietly, indicating the crowd around them with a nod of his head. A few of the other patrons wandering around had started glancing over at Hunk, Lance and Pidge’s theatrics, their eyes glued to them. When Pidge lifted her head and peered around, though, they all quickly averted their gaze, trying to avoid getting caught.

“Oh, come on. We’re just having a little fun with you,” She said, stepping closer so that she was beside him. “I mean, we don’t get to tease you like we used to anymore. We gotta get our fill when we can find the time.”

“Gee, thanks. I feel so loved,” he quipped sarcastically.

Pidge laughed outright at his dry response. “As you should! We only do it because we care and miss you,”

“You have a real funny way of showing it,” He paused to turn his head and watch as Lance and Hunk started trying to catch up, flailing their arms and shouting gibberish at them. They had gotten a decent breath of space between them. “Well, when these two are around, anyway.”

“It’s not my fault we’re keeping things on the DL,” she huffed as they started the trek again. She peered around at a booth that seemed to have some kind of glass wares available. “I take it that the rumor is true, though?”

“Rumor?”

“I overheard Shiro and Coran talking. You originally asked Kolivan to approve me alone for the mission?”

He could feel his cheeks flushing under the mask. “Oh, that,” he mumbled shyly. “Well, yeah. I figured it’d make more sense to go in a small, covert group. Plus, Green Lion has that cloaking device, so she’s good in situations like this.” He explained. He caught the subtle droop of her shoulders and shifted, nudging her with his hip. “And, you know, I thought it’d be nice to spend time with you, one-on-one.”

“Aw, you’re a big softie,” she hummed, reaching out to shove his arm playfully. Her hand lingered, though. It was the most they could do with Hunk and Lance with them, after all. “But I’m surprised Kolivan didn’t agree. I mean, that’s some pretty sound logic you were using.”

He shrugged. “He said it’s because whatever we’ve been sent to collect isn’t going to be an easy fare. I’m assuming that, whatever it is, must be pretty important if he wants so much extra coverage,” he said. He wasn’t completely sure on the details, as Kolivan had implied it was a rather sensitive situation. His lips twisted down in a small scowl as his mind whirled with another thought as to why his commander had picked a slightly larger group. “Well, either that, or he thinks we need babysitters.”

“Jokes on him; none of us here are mature enough to keep the others in line,” she scoffed, stretching her arms above her head. There was a small pop of her back followed by a soft sigh. “If he wanted people who behave then he should have sent, like, Shiro or Adwru or someone like that along.”

Keith opened his mouth to say something else when they heard a loud, alarmed shout behind them. They turned to find Lance and Hunk, both in cuffs, surrounded by a small group of some kind of guards. They weren’t wearing Galran armor, but the armor they did have had some kind of strange, bright orange symbol on it, like an opened eye surrounded by sun beams. Three more guards had turned to look at them.

“Hey, you two! Come with us!” One of the guards shouted, lifting one hand to reveal something that resembled a cattle prod in their hand.

“_Run_!” Keith snapped, shoving Pidge’s shoulder in the direction they’d been going.

The guards darted after them, snapping about how important bringing them in was. A pit formed in his stomach. Were they aware of what to expect from Blade members in regards to dress? Or had they figured out who, exactly, Pidge, Hunk and Lance were? He knew that some time back Pidge had gone snooping around from underground swap to swap, chasing leads on where she could find Matt and Sam. Had word of her movements traveled and left security at these sorts of places on high alert?

It would be something he’d need to loom in to later, he decided. Right now, they had to figure out how to shake their pursuers and free the other two. Seeming to be on the same page as him, Pidge called out her bayard and flipped around. She fired her hook shot out, slamming right into a large chandelier. It came crashing down, narrowly missing hitting the guards chasing them, and making a decent mess between them. “Ha! Nice shot!” He praised.

“Thanks!” She said, turning to start running again before freezing. She lifted her bayard again and prepared to launch it out again. “Keith, duck!” She shouted, but before she could let the shot fly, she was seized up by two sets of large arms. She started thrashing, flinging her head back in an attempt to headbutt her captor. “Let go of me!”

"Pidge!” He shouted, pulling out his Blade dagger and starting to charge forward. He was tackled from the side by one of the other guards who had found their way around the smashed chandelier. He threw his elbow behind him, managing to clip the other in their trunk-like nose, in an attempt to get his Blade free enough to make a move with it. Instead, the guard grabbed the wrist and pinned it down.

The one holding Pidge fished out a laser gun with one hand and held it to her head. “Stop fighting, or your little friend here is gonna suffer the consequences,” They snarled at him.

Keith glared up at them but didn’t say anything or try to fight it as they looped the cuffs on the wrist still clutching his dagger. The guard pinning him perked up, leaning over to get a closer look at his dagger, before letting out a small hum. “These are definitely the ones boss told us to keep an eye out for,”

“Good,” The one hold Pidge said gruffly. Another guard approached and helped him to cuff her as well. Once the two were cuffed properly, the guards that had caught Hunk and Lance approached, leading the duo along with guns to their backs. “You all are going to have the delight of meeting the big boss himself for your actions. You should feel honored.” He sneered.

All the vendors and patrons around them watched in wide-eyed intrigue as the group was led away. They were loaded up into the back of a small vehicle and driven out of the main bazaar, out towards a large building a few miles away. Judging by its placement and the other vehicles coming and going, Keith was willing to wager this was the building where seller’s permits, security agents, and other such matters were handled. Once they entered the building, they were taken past a reception area in the front, down a long corridor, and into an office. A figure settled at a desk in the room perked up at their entrance, a toothy grin turning up on their lips.

“Ah, so you lot are the group Kolivan sent, hm? Pretty impressive struggle you put up out there. Been a while since my men were given a run for their money like that,” he said with a laugh, waving one hand at his guards as he pushed out of his seat and approached. He was clearly part Galra, given his pupil less yellow eyes and the purple-blue hue of the fur he had. His ears were reminiscent of Sendak’s, being large and wide and attached completely to his head, though they grew more narrowed and furless leading up towards the tips. His nose pointed out a bit, somewhat like the snout of a rodent, and was furred all the way up to the tip. The fur along their head had been grown out and down, leaving them with fur that functioned much like sideburns, but were clearly well-maintained and groomed. Unlike the normal Blade or Galran armor, or even the more simple robes most merchants sported, he was wearing a burgundy colored suit with silver detail work along the lapels and cuffs. At his indication, the guards set to removing the shackles they’d placed them in just moments before. “Though I certainly hope that none of you were harmed. We have to put on an impressive, believable show for the other merchants, but that doesn’t mean we go out of our way to hurt you.”

Keith blinked as his wrist were freed, reaching up to gently rub at the left one. “Wait, _you’re_ our informant?”

“Indeed I am. You may address me as Reylt,” he said, offering him a hand.

While Keith shook his hand, Hunk poked his head over, unbound and seeming significantly less unnerved. “Wait, you’re the Blade guy? But you don’t look like you’ve been through rigorous, agonizing torture,”

Reytl cocked his head in confusion before shaking it. “I… I beg your pardon? I am a Blade who was ill-suited for combat, but excelled in other fields that are just as necessary,” He then turned and indicated they follow him to yet another elevator at the other end of the room. Three of his guards followed along while the rest fell back and took watch by the main office entrance and elevator respectively. “Though I can’t blame you for being confused. Those who know of the Blade tend to only know about the main activities they engage in.” He clicked the lowest button and, after a small cream of gears, began its descent.

“Information gathering seems pretty commonplace for the Blades, though I’m sure you get a pretty diverse selection, given your location,” Pidge chimed in, waggling her fingers at her sides.

Reytl hummed before holding one hand up and waffling it side to side. “It varies, if I am honest. Information also isn’t my expertise, though I will offer up anything of notoriety that I find,” The elevator dinged as it reached the floor, the door gliding open smoothly. They were greeted with huge, large shelves filled decorated with various goods decorating them. “Come along. My men will help you transport the goods back to your vehicle.”

“Goods?“ Hunk asked skeptically as they all slipped out.

The young Blade cast them a quick, curious glance over his shoulder. "Yes. Kolivan did explain what, exactly, he sent you to retrieve, did he not?”

“Well, he said it was vital equipment we were coming to get,” Lance scoffed.

“Equipment, goods, feh. It’s a yularis, yularis matter at that point,” Reytl snorted, emphasizing an ‘e’ sound the first time he said the word, and then emphasizing an ‘i’ sound.

“Uh… What?” Lance drawled out.

Hunk hummed quietly, tilting his head. “I think that’s their version of tomato, tomatoe,”

“Ah, brilliant,” Pidge said flatly.

“So, where is this item? We really need to get going before they start thinking something bad has happened to us,” Keith cut in, walking alongside Reytl and his guard.

“Right this way. Also, I must say, Kolivan has exquisite taste. Finding this little number was not easy, but I’m sure that it will be well worth it,” He commented, leading them through the shelves of goods until he reached one of the larger items. A huge grin turned up on his lips as he pulled out a tablet, clicked in some information, and then smiled as one of the larger items from the top shelf was slowly pressed out on a moving platform and lower. “Tahdah!” He held his arms out with flourish at the item before them.

“… U-Uh,” Hunk trailed, looking from the item to the others.

“Oh, my God,” Pidge choked out, the noise sounding like a cross between a laugh and a groan.

Keith swallowed hard, looking at the item and then Reytl. “Is… Is that… A _desk_?”

“Well, it isn’t _just_ a desk! It is a desk made of the _finest windeler wood_, crafted by the craftsmen _Quin’clu’tarf_! It’s a _one-of-a-kind antique_!”

Lance let out a low groan, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Are you _serious_?”

“Um… Are you _sure_ this is what we were sent here for?” Keith asked, shaking his head a bit. He couldn’t believe that this was what they were sent for.

However, Reytl nodded, a serious scowl forming on his face. “Oh, absolutely. I have been trying to find this desk at his request for _ages_ now!” He turned to look at the item again, then back to the team. “Now, do you need any equipment to help you with transporting it?”

The ride in Green Lion to return was incredibly quiet and tense, leaving Keith almost wishing the others would start acting up again.


	14. On Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on something that actually happened with my sister, her husband and I. In which, Allura is me, Pidge is my sister, and Keith is my bro-in-law.

The blare of his ringtone was ear-splitting, forcing him to pull a pillow over his head to try and drown it out. He waited a moment before his mind registered that it was a chip tune version of “The Last of the Real Ones” by Fall Out Boy, specifically assigned as his girlfriend’s. He pulled the pillows off and pulled it up, confirmed further by her icon picture of the two of them dressed in Hogwarts uniforms from Halloween that year. He double checked the time in the corner of the screen and groaned. He swiped to the answer option and held it to his ear. “It’s almost _one in the morning_, _what the Hell_?”

“It _didn’t_ kill on contact!” she breathed out frantically.

“… _What_?”

“There’s a _black widow_ in the hall way, Keith! Allura had to give Romelle a ride home from work, so she bought some spider spray on her way back! And _it said_ it kills on contact! _But it didn’t kill on contact_!” she continued on, voice cracking a bit in hysteria.

He blinked slowly before pinching the bridge of his nose and sitting up. “Pidge, are you _kidding_ me? You’re waking me up for _this_?”

“But it’s serious! It could bite one of us!”

“Then just stomp on it,”

“I can’t! My shoes are in the living room!”

“The go get them and put them on,”

“And risk that thing attacking me when I try to sneak past? No fucking thank you, sir!”

“Then have Allura kill it!

“She’s wearing slippers and her shoes are in her room! Which she can’t get to because of the_ creepy death beast hovering right between our bedroom doors_!”

“_Oh, my God_! You have _two cats_ in that apartment, right? Have Gizmo and Widget deal with it!”

“It’s a _fucking black widow_! And it’s currently _doused in poisonous chemicals that somehow failed to kill it_!”

Somewhere, vaguely in the distance, he swore he heard a quiet, “This thing _has_to be possessed! Or a _demon_! _Or both_!”

He took a deep breath, scrubbing his face with one hand, before tossing his legs over the side of the bed. He wasn’t going to win this battle, he knew. “I’m not driving myself down there,” he commented.

“Allura can come get you,” she said, much softer and more composed now.

“Have her head over. I’ll be ready by the time she gets here,” he grumbled, starting to reach for the sandals he tossed on when he was getting the mail.

“Okay. And make sure you wear your steel-toed boots,” And then, seeming to realize that she should show some iota of manners, tacked on a quick “Please.”

She was lucky that he loved her, or else he’d have just hung up on her.

He gave Kosmo a quick pat on the head as he slipped out the door, the pooch lifting and cocking his head at him. “Yeah, I know buddy. It’s too late for this bullshit,” he said before shutting the door and locking up after himself. He took the stairs two at a time and, as he turned out towards the lot, he saw a familiar electric blue shape coming towards him. Once it skid to a stop in front of him, he slipping inside.

“Hello, Keith,” she said, voice meek. A part of him thought if might be embarrassment but he opted against calling attention to it.

“Hey, Allura,” he said, cutting off at the end to yawn.

“Sorry, and thank you,”

“Mmhmm,”

The rest of the car ride was quiet, with only the low tones of Allura’s stereo playing in the background. Once they arrived at the complex, he was out of the car before she’d even killed the engine. He knew the path to their apartment well enough that he didn’t need a guide, and his own irritation made him want it all to be said and done sooner rather than later. She followed after him, stumbling a bit and having to hobble with one foot temporarily when she lost a slipper, and opened the front door for him when they arrived. Widget, stretched out on the kitchen table, perked up and let out a small chirping noise at the sight of him. Before the little distilled tortoiseshell kitty could make her way over to him for some pets, though, he made a bee line for the hallway, boots clicking against the linoleum floors.

He paused to stare down at the small arachnid that had disrupted his sleep.

There was a puddle of liquid under it, most likely from where Allura had gone trigger-happy with the can of spray, and it was probably wet, too. It wasn’t crawling anywhere in an attempt to escape, though; no, instead it seemed rooted to its spot but was just… lifting its legs. Not as if it wanted to walk, not as if it was struggling to survive, just… Almost as if it was stretching in preparation of its great escape?

He almost shrugged at the thought as he brought the toe of his boot down, a distinct crunch resounding from the deed.

Allura was behind him with a roll of paper towels in one hand. He took a few from her before heading to the kitchen, walking with his boot tilted back on the heel to void spreading spider guts or bug spray everywhere. He cleaned off his boot carefully and, once done, reached out to pick Widget up, who had come over to greet him. He could see Gismo’s fluffy brown tail disappearing around the corner to the hallway, only to be shooed away by Allura. Widget butted her head against his jaw eagerly, letting out high-pitched chirp of an excitement. Between her and Gizmo, he liked Widget a bit better, since she tended to be a cuddler.

There was a quiet creak of a door opening and then Pidge was rounding the corner to meet him, clad in her pajamas. She threw her arms around him, disregarding the protesting meow from her cat, and squeezed lightly. “Oh, my God, thank you,” she whined quietly.

“This was ridiculous,” he mumbled, lifting one arm to embrace her back. “_You’re_ridiculous.”

“It was super scary though!”

“I have watched both you _and_ Allura beat down guys _three times_ your size! How can you two be _so bad_ at something as _simple_ as killing a spider?” he retorted.

Pidge slipped back a bit, looking up at him with pleading puppy dog eyes. It took all his self-control to not yield to that expression. “We were gonna go get some after-midnight milkshakes. We’ll treat you to one, too,” she offered, fluttering her lashes and amping up the poutiness of her lower lip.

He contemplated turning her down, just to make her feel bad, but some carnal part of him couldn’t resist the draw of the milkshake. He offered a simple nod before setting Widget down and allowing his girlfriend and her roommate to usher him back outside. After getting the aforementioned milkshakes, they drove around for a little bit just shooting the shit and enjoying their drinks. They dropped him off and, as he settled back into his bed, he drafted up a quick, simple Facebook post.

_Asleep. Phone. Awake. Pidge. Boots. Allura. Spider. Milkshakes. Home. Sleep._


	15. Taking in the Sights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fun little side story that kinda ties into my long-form fic, Time, Space and Everything Between. When Team Voltron finally has some down time, Keith is coerced into spending time relaxing in the company of his favorite person. And maybe offer some comfort, as well as lay down hints to something more.

Sometimes, he hated how sporadic Team Voltron’s movements tended to be.

All his training as a Blade member had taught him that having a well-thought out plan was typically the most effective way to achieve the end goal one was looking for. And, okay, yeah, he wasn’t _exactly_ the best Blade when it came to that, _but still_! Even his acts of rebellion - one of which had gotten him in this position, admittedly - had been planned carefully before he acted upon them. Typically. When he was actually allotted the necessary planning time.

Okay, so he didn’t really have a leg to stand on, but he was still upset about it all!

They had been tracking Lotor and his generals for a straight two weeks, with barely any time to breathe or rest. Between Queen Melenor, Allura, Coran, and Shiro, they’d come up with sixteen different plans on how to engage Ltor; including escape routes, if necessary, and proper protocol if they were able to take he or his generals into coalition custody. They had ended up in the Chilleid star belt which, as Adwru had informed them as they landed, was a cluster of very small artificial planets that belonged to no one organization and served as vacation spots for both sides of Zarkon’s war.

Lotor and his generals had left a day before they showed up, after enjoying four whole days of the royal treatment at one of the lush resorts. The owner of the largest resort there, Tamurn, had been the one to inform them of all of this. And then followed it up by offering them free lodging and treatments in her grand locale, unger the promise that they spread the good word about her business.

Keith completely lost it when _Shiro,_ of all people, _actually agreed_.

“Well, this place is neutral territory, so taking some time for ourselves shouldn’t be an issue,” The older man answered with a shrug at Keith’s flabbergasted reaction.

His ears tipped down and flattened against his head. “You’ve _got_ to be kidding! Lotor was _just here_, with his generals! And we’re just gonna let it be?” His arm lashed out and gestured around them, blind and wild.

“There’s nothing else we really _can_ do,” he answered, seeming unfazed by the young half Galra’s theatrics. “Besides, sometimes just going with the flow can be a good thing. We haven’t had a lot of downtime lately and the last thing we need is for anyone to suffer a case of burn out.”

Lance appeared at this point, pressing one hand against their leader’s forehead. “Is Shiro sick or something? You almost never give us down time!”

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to seemingly keep himself from snapping, before reaching up and gently pushing Lance’s hand away. “Well, you’ve all been on top of it lately; running drills, adapting to new plans, and doing it without putting up much of a fight. The least I can do is give you a little something to repay your hard work and dedication,” he explained calmly. After the words left his mouth, he glanced over his shoulder at where Adwru was speaking with Hunk and Coran about something, the other Blade member perking up when he felt eyes on him. He blinked then offered a small half smile in response to the Black Paladin’s gaze. Keith didn’t miss how a bit of pink colored Shiro’s cheeks as he turned to return his attention to the younger two. “So, for now, you guys can spend the next couple of hours out and about. There’s a meteor shower going on tonight, though, that I expect everyone to attend. Tamurn specifically invited us to the shower with premium seats to view it. Just make sure to keep your communicators on so we can stay in touch and coordinate meet up.”

And, with that said, he gave them a quick salute before making a beeline for Adwru.

Keith’s tail lashed from side to side with quick flicks in his irritation. “It seems Shiro has _ulterior motives_ in his kindness,”

“Dude, who _cares_? We get some time to just chill!” Lance laughed excitedly. His smile then turned more cheeky as he leaned closer, lightly nudging him in the side with his elbow and waggling his eyebrows. “Plus, you could always taking a page out of Shiro’s book, you know.”

“Excuse me?” Keith hissed quietly, lowering one of his arms to block the other from prodding him further.

“You could hang out with Pidge! Maybe even pull her out of that funk she’s been in since she lost Matt’s trail. Give you the chance to really show her what you’ve got to offer to her,”

“Uh… You mean in offering her someone to talk to?”

Lance smacked his forehead and let his hand slowly drag down, looking wholly unimpressed with the Red Paladin. “Oh, _come on_, don’t play dumb with me! You, Pidge, all that unresolved stuff between you two!”

He cocked his head, ears twitching slightly. “Unresolved stuff?” And then, like a sucker punch to the side of his head, his mind called back that incident some time back. When he and Lance had been trapped in the elevator on the Castle of Lions during that electrical storm. In a matter of seconds, he seized the Blue Paladin up by the lapels of his jacket and pulled him close, pressing the cold luxite of his Marmora dagger to his cheek. “I told you that in _confidence_! _Not _so you could try and use it to _toy with my head_!”

Icy blue eyes widened in not fear, but shock. “_Woah, dude, chillax_! I’m not doing this to _mess_ with you! I’m genuinely trying to help you out!” he insisted, reaching one hand up to gently press the dagger away with one finger. Keith stared him down for a moment and was surprised to find sincerity in the other’s eyes. “Look, say and think what you want about me, but if there’s one thing I’m _pretty good_ _at_? It’s reading people. And you and Pidge? There’s _definitely_ some sparks there.”

He released his grip on the other slowly and returned his Blade to it’s holder. “… You’re sure that she’s interested in me, though?”

He carefully tugged at his jacket and brushed it off, straightening it up a bit from the brief scuffle. “_Absolutely_, dude. For as much as I like messing with you, I wouldn’t do something as underhanded as messing with your love life. That would just be plain disrespectful to do to _not only you_, but to _my own honor_ as a _true casanova_,”

He blinked slowly, deciding to hold his tongue on the snide comment burning on the tip in response. “Okay. Uh, thanks, I guess?” His golden eyes shifted from the other mn to Pidge’s form a few feet away, more separated from the group than she usually tended to be. She was looking at some kind of pamphlet that one of Tamurn’s assistants had handed each of them, but her shoulders were sagged and her bright amber eyes lacked their usual luster. A part of his ached to know she was hurting, and wanted nothing more than to go comfort her. “So, what do you think I should do?”

“Go over there, see how she’s planning to spend the day, and then ask her if you can tag along,” he suggested.

“So just ask her out on a date?”

“Hmm… Probably not. No offense to Pidge, but she’d probably freak out if you outright called it a date,” Lance said after a moment to think about it, nodding his head with an air of finality to it.

Keith bristled, the tuft of fur at the end of his tail beginning to fluff up. “But you _just said_ she likes me back!”

Lance met his fury with a scowl of his own, clearly unintimidated. A part of Keith made a mental note to remind the other he was a threat at a later point. “She _does_; however, much like _you_,” he explained, poking him firmly in the chest as he spoke, “she’s a bit on the inexperienced side when it comes to expressing her feelings. Coming right out with it being a date would more than likely make her panic about how she’s _supposed_ to act instead of just, you know, _being herself_and _enjoying_ her time with you. Making it more casual will help keep her at ease and make it more likely that you two actually have a nice time, you awkward turtles, you.”

He let out a small hum as he turned the advice over, understanding the other’s logic. “Thanks, Lance. I really appreciate you giving me this surprisingly good advice,”

“If there’s one thing Lance McClain is good at, it’s helping hapless doofus like you two sort stuff out,” he said proudly, winking and doing finger guns at him. Keith rolled his eyes, but it felt more affectionate than anything. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna see if Allura wants to join me for some complementary massages down at the spa.” He hummed, shoulders squared in confidence., before sauntering off.

Keith watched him go before taking in a deep breath and heading over to Pidge. She seemed to be lost in thought, eyes still glued to the same page of the pamphlet that they’d been on when he first glanced over at her. She should have been done looking at it by now, which meant she had to be distracted. He swallowed around a lump in his throat, ignoring the part of him hissing that he’d be bothering her, before clearing his throat to get her attention. “Pidge,” he said evenly at the startled look he got.

She visibly relaxed when she saw it was just him, a half-hearted little smile turning up on her lips. “Oh, hey Keith. What’s up?”

Some of the nervousness in him quelled at seeing her unwind at his presence. “Not much. Just trying to figure out how to spend our free time,”

“Oh, yeah. Kinda cool of Shiro to let us have a breather. Even if it is just so he can run off and play footsie with Adwru,” she said, snorting a bit in amusement.

“Glad to know I’m not the only one who sees the true motive here,” he said with a chuckle of his own. He then stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Though I guess we can’t complain, since we’re reaping the benefits, too.”

She hummed and nodded, playing with the paper in her hands. “Fair point. It might be nice to poke around and do some touristy things,”

“I take it you have something in mind?”

“Mmhmm!” She held the pamphlet up and indicated a large, stone building with a sign in what he wanted to say was Rihunian. If he was reading it correctly, it was some kind of historical museum. “This museum is apparently dedicated to the development and advancement of space exploration equipment for a bunch of ancient civilizations. I thought that would be pretty cool to see.”

“Mind if I tag along?”

“Sure. Maybe we’ll find something else that we can do after that, too. More geared towards your fondness for the stabby-stabby stuff,” she teased, grinning and quirking an eyebrow at him.

He couldn’t help but snort a bit. “I do like my stabby-stabby stuff,”

The museum ended up being incredibly interesting to him as well. Seeing how similar some of the civilizations transportation vehicles had developed despite being so far apart was fascinating. Plus, they had a simulator for some of them, allowing them the ability to see how they most likely flew, which had been a blast. He and Pidge has a little race to see who could go the fastest through the foreign terrain with the least amount of wipe outs. He won, but was gracious about it.

After that, they stopped by a small art supply store and got coerced into partaking in a pottery class. The pots the two of them made were nothing spectacular, but it was a fun time. After the class, Pidge coerced him into buying himself some nice pencils and a sketchbook. He had discovered a passion for art thanks to the summer they’d spent together as children. He still wasn’t particularly good at drawing, but it was still something he liked to do.

It was as they left, their little goodies bagged up for safe keeping, when he spotted a little shop with a sign advertising a very familiar treat. “Hmm? _Oh!_” he gasped, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the door.

She looked from him to the signage, tilting her head slightly. “What’s up?”

“This place sells Ajutian sweet ice! Come on, we _have_ to get some!” he said eagerly, opening the door and ushering her inside.

“Ajutian flavored ice?”

“You’ll love it, trust me!” He turned to look at the clerk at the register, who was of a race that had three eyes. “Two larges, please.”

“So, like, is it just frozen sugar water or something?” she asked as she tilted her head, looking around for some list of flavors on the menu hanging from the ceiling.

“Ah, you’ve never had it before, have ya, kid?” The clerk asked, an amused grin on their lips. They reached out and pulled out a small scanner of some kind, beginning to input some kind of code. “Alright, here’s the deal; I want you to think of one of your favorite sweet snacks and tell me what you call that flavor.”

She quirked an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. “I somehow doubt that you’ll have any idea of what Earth flavorings would be,”

Keith’s ears drooped a bit and he offered her a pleasing look. “Come on, Pidge,”

She stared at him for a moment before letting out a small hum. “Fine, fine. Let’s go with strawberry,” she said, turning to look at the clerk again.

“Hold out your tongue, please,” they said with a bright grin, clicking a button on the side of the device that caused it to release a little red X mark like a price checker. She did as they said, seeming rather bemused, then let out a small squeak when they held the scanner up and guided it along her tongue. It took about a minute before they switched it off and returned it to its holder and beginning to clack at the keyboard. She reached up and gently poked the tip before pulling it back into her mouth. “Is my tongue supposed to feel all tingly?”

The clerk chuckled. “Don’t worry, kiddo. It doesn’t last very long,” After one final keystroke, they hummed and nodded. “Alright, just give me a tick and I’ll have those right up for you.” With that, they disappeared to approach some machines poised on the counter behind them.

Pidge leaned against the counter and looked over at Keith again with a small, amused smile.“So is this another one of those things you discovered through your travels with the Blade?”

“Yeah. Mom promised to take me out after my first successful mission, but she was on another assignment and we didn’t know how long she’d need,” he said, leaning against the counter himself. He chuckled a bit at the memory. “I was really disappointed about it, so Adwru and Nihaar took me out for these to try and cheer me up. Been hooked ever since.”

“That was really sweet of them,” she giggled. She reached over to a little jar with sporks in them, pulling one out and toying with it. “You three are kinda like a little family, huh?”

“Yeah, in a way. They look out for me and I do my best to do the same for them. Well, when they aren’t teasing me, anyway,” he said, perking up as the clerk turned around, carrying two moderately sized bowls on a little tray. He was pleased to see that they’d even added a little more of the fenlu fruit chunks than they normally put in. He took the offered goods and offered a quick thanks. 

Pidge chuckled a bit as he offered hers to her. “Yup, sounds like typical big sibling behaviors. Matt used to make pick on me all the time,” She grew silent after that, prodding at the bowl in her hand with her spork. “It’s funny. I thought that I’d like him not being around while he was on Kerberos.”

His ears drooped again and he winced a bit, feeling a rush of guilt at stirring unpleasant thoughts back to the front of her mind. “Pidge,”

“I just-! Oh, I don’t know,” she sighed, spearing a chunk of fruit in frustration. She held it up and waved it around in the air as she spoke. “I keep trying to have faith, keep telling myself that everything will be okay, but… Every way I turn, I just find dead ends. It’s like a rat in a maze but there’s no cheesy reward at the end. There’s just more disappointment.”

He reached out and set his hand on top of hers holding her bowl. “We’ll find them, Pidge. Matt and Samuel,” he said, soft but with as much certainty as he had in him. Beyond just his interest in Pidge, he felt like helping was the least he could do. Many years ago, Samuel had helped save his life and reunite him with his Mom and Dad; the least he could do was return the favor. “I promise.”

She was quiet for a moment, meeting his gaze and holding it. He watched as the spark of determination reignited, causing her eyes to gleam as bright as stars. She slowly smiled up at him. “Thanks, Keith,”

He nodded before indicating her bowl with a tip of his head, slowly pulling his hand away. “Here. I know it’s not much, but maybe this will help a little bit. You know, something that tastes like home,”

She chuckled and shook her head a bit. “Will it really though?” With that, she carefully pried the fruit chunk off before scooping up some more of the icy concoction it was decorating, then speared the piece again. He watched with excited anticipating as she plopped it in her mouth, then hummed in delight. “_Holy crow_!”

“So?”

“It… It tastes like a strawberry snow cone mixed with ice cream and fruit!”

“Pretty good, right?“ he asked happily while taking a bite of his own, delighting at the bite of citrus on his tongue.

"Mmhmm,” she hummed in pure delight, shoveling another bite into her mouth. “So, anything else of interest around here?”

They ended up walking around and just enjoying some of the sights after that, eating their snack and casually chatting. As they did, Pidge’s mood continued to pick back up, until she was laugh and smiling like her usual self. Keith felt joy swell in his own chest at being able to offer her a distraction and comfort. They took some pictures in front of some of the more interesting monuments and parks.

They ended up having to run the whole way back to make it in time for the meteor shower.

Queen Melenor was nowhere to be seen, while Coran, Hunk, Adwru and Shiro were sitting in a small group, talking excitedly about whatever activities they’d partaken in. Lance and Allura were settled beside one another as well, each of them wearing flower crowns with some kind of magenta colored flowers with lighter pink designs on the petals. A part of Keith told him he knew them from somewhere, but couldn’t place quite where. Allura seemed to be rather fond of them, though, since she also had a necklace and bracelet made of them.

They settled in beside each other. Just as the shower was about to start, she reached over and tapped his head to get his attention.

“Thank you, by the way,” she said softly when he looked at her. There was a faint flush on her cheeks, barely noticeable in the lower light of night. “For getting me that sweet ice thing and giving me that pep talk and just… Being there and hanging out with me. I’ve been in a funk lately and I actually feel a lot better now. Not a lot of people would do this for me.”

He blinked then offered a soft smile. “What _wouldn’t _I do for you?” he said without thinking. He felt his skin grow hot under his fur and he cleared his throat, averting his gaze from the surprised look on her face. Was that too forward? Would this make Pidge uncomfortable with her? But, he knew he had to be honest with her about his feelings; even if it was only a fraction. “I.. I mean! Well, you know… You’re really important to me, Pidge. So, if you need me? I’ll _always_ be there.”

She stared at him a bit before smiling and leaning over, resting her head on his shoulder and gently embracing his arm. His tail shot up for a second before moving to gently curl around her, draping along her back and resting against her hip. “You’re really important to me too, Keith,” She said in a sweet, sincere tone, before turning her gaze upward.

He smiled himself, relaxing completely and turning his attention back up to the sky as well.


	16. Roll the Dice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Combining Day 15 and 17 since they were going to be connected either way. Just some fin involving games and adventure.

Days of travel had left all of them worn to the bone and ready for a bit of rest. She wasn’t normally one to complain about the idea of having to rough it in the woods, but even she had her limits. The need for a comfortable shelter only became more apparent as fat, dark clouds loomed over them ominously. When they reached the top of the path leading them along, the distant flickering of town lights felt so comforting that she would have wept. Beside her, she could feel Faylinn trembling with giddiness, the other young woman clearly just as giddy. “Oh, please tell me this town is on the map,” Block pleaded, reaching into one of the many pockets of his robes. He spread the map out and squealed. “Praise the ancients, it is!”

“What town is it?” Pike asked, peering over the other man’s shoulder.

“Alezxan,”

“Oh, I’ve heard of that place before,” Jiro chimed in. A small smile turned up on his lips. “They say it’s a well-known merchant’s town, with plenty of goods necessary for guilds.”

“I just can’t wait until I have a chance to rest,” Faylinn commented, carefully reach out for her long silver ponytail. Her fingers stroked mournfully over the very edges, which were charred black as night. “I need a night where I don’t smell like sulfur and stomach acid, and have a chance to fix this damage.”

“Such are the risks when dealing with dragons,” Jiro said with a small chuckle.

She pinned him with a fierce glare over her shoulder. “Which was why Block and I suggested we take on the escort assignment,” she groused. She then indicated the young caster with a nod of her head. “And have you seen what that beast did to his staff?”

His staff had a huge chunk taken out of the fine wood, with jagged claw and smaller scorch marks decorating what remained of the curve at the end. “Yeah, still not happy about that,” he commented quietly, rolling the map back up and tucking it away.

“But the dragon mission ended up paying out way better,” she herself chimed in with a sly grin.

“Greedy little dwarf,” Faylinn muttered under her breath.

“Meklavar’s right, though! With how much of a profit we turned on besting that overgrown lizard, you can buy a _new_ staff! A _better _staff!” Pike encouraged.

“I _liked_ my old staff,” he grumbled with a small huff.

“But I’m sure you’d like a new staff with, say, a _Gulonian crystal_ in it a whole lot too, right?” Meklavar suggested with a sly grin.

That gave Block pause. “Well, if it had a Gulonian crystal, I _guess_ I could like a staff like that,”

“We could all use new equipment, honestly,” Jiro commented, casting a glance at the hilt of his sword, strung along his back. The leather of it was tattered and frayed, sticking out in various places. Inside its sheath, his sword was also rather beaten down from the battle, receiving a sizeable chink on one side. “Which, considering where we are, sounds like the perfect place to do that.”

“See, there ya go!” Pike hummed before a shudder coursed through him, causing his tail to fluff up. He stole a fervent glance up at the plump storm clouds before starting to hurry along the path, ears flattened against his head. “But for now, let’s get somewhere warm and dry before the storm starts up.”

“Aw, poor little kitty doesn’t like the idea of getting his feet wet?” Meklavar teased.

He scowled at her, tail lashing. “Oh, so you mean to tell me you actually want to spend a night waterlogged?” When her only answer was the faltering of her grin, his pout turned into an amused grin. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

With Pike taking the lead, they rushed down along the path and into town proper. They were able to find a reasonably priced inn just as the first few droplets of water fell, paying for two rooms and five meals. As they headed off to the bar attached to the inn, though, Meklavar noticed the young lady working the front desk cast a frantic glance out the window as the downpour really started up. She cast it off as perhaps her being worried about making the trek home in less than desirable conditions and followed her group along.

The meal was good not in taste, but simply in the fact that it was hot and fresh. They all had themselves a little too much ale, with Block and Jiro partaking so much they made complete fools of themselves. They danced and sang atop the tables, spurned on further by the cheers of the other bar patrons. When the festivities for the night ended, Pike and Meklavar had to lug a wobbling, babbling Block back up to their room, while Faylinn carried Jiro over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Once the settled the boys in their own room, she and Faylinn headed back to their own. They took turns using the adjacent washroom to clean up before bed, and as Meklavar slipped under the cover5s for the night, she stole a glance at her own axe, propped against the wall beside her bed. The blunt side of her axe was barely holding up the now-dulled blade, ready to give way and completely splinter from the weight at a moment’s notice. It would only last an incredibly small, incredibly simple mission, if she were lucky.

This, honestly, was the exact opposite of what they needed with their Guild just starting to develop a name for itself.

After their first grand adventure as a team, they decided to continue collaborating to assist one another with their aims. The most effective way, obviously, was to form a Guild and take on assignments as necessary. So, Sky Lion Guild was formed with the path of funding their respective missions as well. Thus far, their reputation was growing well, known for being rather skilled and successful for a tin class Guild. After that mission with the dragon, they’d been promoted to cinder class, which was a great honor, but came with its own host of new expectations. They would all need to step up their game, improve their skills and, obviously, replace their damaged equipment with ones of better quality.

She flopped over on her side, dozing off to the debate of what kind of mineral she’d like best in a new axe blade.

The next morning, Block and Jiro were slow and unpleasant to wake, feeling the backlash of their festive evening full force. They did perk up a bit when it was pointed out that they could hit the market and see what kind of wares the merchants had to offer. When they reached the lobby, however, they were greeted by the rain continuing on. The clerk informed them that, given the weather, it was unlikely any merchants would have set up shop in the bazaar, worried about the rain water ruining the quality of their goods. They waved it off, deciding they’d simply go the next morning, once the rain had let up, and instead headed to get themselves breakfast.

But the rain continued on the next day. And the day after that. And the day after_. And the day after that_.

“This is ridiculous,” Faylinn complained, arms crossed and pressed as far back against her seat at their table as she could get. “This weather is becoming rather bothersome.”

“Bothersome seems like a bit of an understatement. It’s keeping us from being able to purchase the goods we need,” Block chimed in before taking a small sip of his water-filled mug. After the theatrics of the other night, he had sworn of the ale cold turkey. “Plus, being trapped her is draining our funds much faster than we planned.”

“Well, why don’t we just move along to the next town, then? Surely they would have some merchants looking to sell,” Faylinn suggested.

“Can’t. The only logged path from here to the next town is through a road that cuts along the mountains, but it’s been closed down due to the risk of landslides. We could try to cut through the mountains outside of the designated path, but then we run the risk of getting lost without a guide. Also, our weapons aren’t in much of a state to defend us from much more than a disgruntled kitten,” Meklavar sighed.

“Well, it’s not like we can do anything about the weather,” Pike snorted, reclined in his own seat as if he owned the joint. His feet were propped up and crossed at the ankles atop the table, arms crossed behind his head to work as a makeshift pillow, and eyes closed as if he were merely napping. He peeked one open, the blue seeming brighter in his excitement, to look at their caster. “Unless you have some kind of trick up your sleeve that could help dispel this, pal?”

“With the state my staff is in? _Hard pass_,” he answered, shaking his head. Pike’s ears drooped and he heaved a loud sigh. “I mean, I could _try_, but it would most likely end with the spell backfiring directly on all of us. Which would be less than ideal.”

“Besides, we shouldn’t be using Block’s magic to resolve issues as mundane as some unfortunate weather,” Jiro added.

“Unless this is more than just a simple storm,” Meklavar pointed out, leaning in closer to her associates.

Block, Faylinn and Jiro all perked up and leaned closer as well, catching on to what she was hinting at. Pike, however, remained in his position, reclined and seemingly at ease. His ears, however, sat straight upright and his eyes were open just a slit, monitoring those around them for any suspicious behavior. “You think there’s more going on in this town that what it seems?” Faylinn asked quietly.

She nodded. “Do you remember the young woman who checked us in for our rooms? Something about her reaction to the storm seemed strange. It seemed as if she was afraid of the rain itself,” she explained.

“Ah, I noticed that. Broke my heart to see such a lovely young woman seem so unnerved,” Pike lamented lightly.

They all silently agreed to ignore his input and continue on.

“Couldn’t it just be a matter of storms being uncommon around here?” Block suggested.

“I considered that, but the reaction and what we know of this place don’t add up to that. I mean, if they rarely get storms,” she said, “then wouldn’t they be excited about the coming rains? To replenish their crops and water stores and such? Additionally, this place is a renowned trading hub! This implies they have to have a decent enough supply of foods and goods to warrant people stopping by, which wouldn’t make sense if they didn’t get enough storms to maintain their crops well enough to allow as many visitors as they undoubtedly see.”

“Maybe they bring in their crops using the money they make?”

“Then why would they have signs posted informing people of which farms can be located where along the edges of town?” Silence followed her last point, their whole group exchanging looks. “I don’t have any damning proof of what I think is happening, but the idea that something else is causing this weather seems rather plausible.”

“You think they’ve had some kind of hex laid upon them?” Jiro asked.

“Maybe. Like I said, I’m not completely sure, but it seems plausible. We need more information from someone in town, though,”

Pike swept his legs of the table and let out a small sigh, pushing himself to stand. “Well, I guess I’ll go do some investigating then. It’s the same woman at the front today as when we first arrived. I’m sure that I can get her to let me know what’s going on with a little finesse,” he hummed, stretching and arching his back until he got a little pop.

“_Pike_,” Jiro trailed off strictly.

“Just… Be careful. The last thing we need is for your incredibly _involved_ approach to interrogations getting us kicked out of a town,” Faylinn trailed, fists clenched on the tabletop, “_again_.”

He tensed a bit. “That was a _fluke_! _And_ a learning experience! Now I know to only use a _small fraction_ of my full charisma on the unsuspecting beauties of the world,” He said.

“That or at least be the one who actually takes it on the chin when your ‘unsuspecting beauty’ turns out to have a very angry ogre husband,” Jiro grumbled.

“In my defense, he didn’t _tell me_ he had a husband! I would never flirt with someone who’s spoken for, regardless of how magnificent,” And, with that, he headed out of the bar and back towards the main lobby.

While they waited, they chatted about this or that, stories from their past and their goals for the future. At one point, Jiro and Faylinn broke off to play a rousing game of throwing knives with a few of the other patrons. She spent the time trying to sharpen her axe to a respectable cut, only to be sorely disappointed. The sooner the rain let up, the better.

It took far too long to be reasonable before Pike returned.

His headband and hair were disheveled, face screwed up in a look of goofy satisfaction. He fell into his seat with a contented sigh, tossing one arm along the back while the other dangled in the air beside him. For a moment he just stared at all of them. “_Well_?” Block asked after Pike said nothing immediately.

“Meklavar was right; the town’s been cursed,” he said loftily.

“Okay, but by _what_?” she asked with a small huff. She had to resist the urge to grab her axe and knock the legs out from under his chair. He was holding up their progress with his lax behavior.

“I guess there’s some crotchety old mage who lives in a tower up on the mountain,” he said, indicating out the window with a tip of his head. It was hard to see through the pouring rain and dark clouds, but she thought she could just make out the shape of a building far in the distance. “He came down to try and pedal some of his cursed goods in the bazaar a few days before we got here. When they turned him away, he threw a temper tantrum and said they’d pay, that he ruined their whole town for anyone who visited it. Pretty typical for those finicky caster types, though.”

“_Hey_!” Block squawked.

“You’re not a finicky caster type, dude!”

“That’s _still _rude of you to say!”

“Oh, _whatever_! You guys should just be grateful I was able to convince the mayor that our guild could handle it!” He huffed.

And, with that, Meklavar finally turned her axe around to slam the blunt side right against the leg, sending him toppling over in a graceless heap with an equally graceless yowl. “You’re a _complete moron_!” she shrieked.

“_What_ part of you, _exactly_, thought signing us up for another mission was a _good idea_?” Faylinn joined in, slamming her hands down on the table and standing.

“_Seriously_, dude? That warlock will take us down in, like, _two seconds flat_! Did you _forget_ about the sad state all of our equipment is in?” Block pointed out as well.

“Which is why I was able to _negotiation_ the terms of our agreement with them, geez!” Pike snapped back as he hoisted himself back on to his feet. He dusted himself off as well. “You guys act like I have _no_ idea what I’m doing here! In agreement for taking on the assignment without a formal request being submitted, they’re going to have us given the best equipment available to complete the task! They’ve also agreed that, assuming we succeed, they’ll refund us for two of the nights we stayed at the inn!”

“Not a _full refund_?” Meklavar commented.

Pike side-eyed her skeptically. “Greedy little dwarf,”

Jiro let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Anyway, those negotiations are all well and good, but are they going to allow us passage through the blocked path? Or provide us with a guide who can?”

The other stopped at that, ears tipping downward. “Uh, no. See, the rain is coming down _a lot_ worse closer to where the mage lives. Most likely as some kind of defense from any potential attacks by the village. As a result, the whole path is bogged down by mud and tree branches and such. No way we can get around that,”

“So we have no safe way of getting up there?” Block asked worriedly.

“Not quite, young warriors,” An old, withered voice chimed in. They were greeted by the sight of a well-dressed man with a long, braided beard and little reading glasses. His hair was mostly snow white, though there were traces of a fading orange hue to a few patches. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Rocan, the mayor of this fine town.”

Jiro rose and bowed politely. “It’s a great privilege to meet you, sir,” he began, “but I am afraid our friend may have agreed to your terms too hastily. Our equipment is far too damaged to take on such a task, and none of us are familiar with the terrain leading up to where the cruel mage rests.”

“The equipment matter is one we have offered to fix,” he answered, “and while I cannot guarantee it, there may be someone who can get you up to the mage’s keep.”

Faylinn and Meklavar exchanged glances. “What do you mean by that, exactly, sir?” Faylinn ponder cautiously.

“There is one who lives outside our village, on the first peak of the mountain range to the east,” he said. “He has lived there many years, living off the land and traveling how he sees fit. No one else in this area will know the uncharted paths anywhere near as well as he. If you can convince him to assist your brigade, I have no doubt he’ll be able to show you the way.”

“There’s a lot of ‘ifs’ in that statement,” Meklavar pointed out.

“He is a bit of a hermit, despite his young age. He rarely ever visits town, and when he does it is typically very briefly,”

“So he’s a recluse,” Jiro said.

“Meaning the likelihood of him helping is slim,” Block agreed.

“Well, it’s better than _nothing_!” Pike insisted. He then tossed his head back a bit, flashing them one of his smoldering grins. “And, if need be, I can always put some of the old charm to use.”

“Do us all a favor and _don’t_,” Meklavar scoffed, rising fully from her seat. “Though, I will admit that Pike has a point; we don’t know if they’ll help us unless we try asking.”

Faylinn nodded before looking over at the mayor again. “We will go seek them out once we have the equipment necessary, then,” she agreed.

They were guided through the wet, muddy streets of town up to town hall, where a few of the most prominent merchants in town were gathered. They were given a bit of time to test out a few options, select the ones they found most agreeable, and then they headed out. They had to take their time and be careful, even though the rain was just a bit less severe in the direction they were going. It was still a rather steep climb, but after a good few hours of travel, they could see the hermit’s lodge not too far off in the distance.

But that was when they heard the first cry of a lone wolf not far off in the distance.

Faylinn paused, slipping one hand up to carefully grab one of the silver-tipped arrows from her quiver. “You all heard how close that was, right?” There was a pause between her words, in which a responding howl echoed from somewhere behind them. She whipped around, pulling her arrow back partially in preparation.

“But the question then becomes is it just the two, or is there a whole pack waiting to strike?” Jiro whispered back, hand clenched tight around the hilt of his new sword.

“Or, there’s also the risk they’re more than just normal wolves, but shifters,” Meklavar agreed, hefting her axe up to rest partially against her shoulder.

“Why can’t it ever be easy?” Block lamented quietly, the Gulonian crystal in the center of his new staff beginning to glow dimly, charging up some of his magic in preparation for an attack.

“Because that would be bo-! _Ack_!” Pike yowled before a large form slammed right into him. He growled, rummaging to get one of the paralysis balls he’d gotten, only for whatever was on top of him to jump back with a snarl. It hopped back until it stood beside another looming shape covered in a dark pelt. “Looks like it’s a shifter, guys!”

“Who are you mistaking for a shifter, miserable cat?” The larger figure spat, reaching up to carefully push back what seemed to be their head. Which, if they were, in fact, a shifter they shouldn’t have been able to do. When the hood slumped back, they were greeted by a pale face sporting two burgundy red marks along their cheeks, dark eyes with gleaming yellow pupils, and pointed ears.

A gasp left Faylinn. “A dark elf?”

“_Half,_” He answered brusquely. He paused to stare at each of them in turn. “Who are you, and what are you doing so close to my abode?”

“Your abode? So you’re the hermit of the hill?” Meklavar asked.

He scoffed. “Is _that_ how they’re choosing to call me now? How impolite,” he then reached up to pull his hood back up. “My name is Yorak. And this is my companion, Gévaudan.”

The wolf beside his let out a small huff.

“_No_! _Wait_! _Hold up_!” Lance suddenly squawked, standing up and holding his arms up in an X in front of his chest.

Keith let out an annoyed look. “What’s _your_ damage?”

“We aren’t _seriously_ going to let your dog have a character in this, are we?” he asked, casting a glance at Coran.

The old Altean merely toyed with the end of his mustache thoughtfully. “Well, if no one else has a problem with it, and he can roll in situations… I don’t see why not,”

“I’m cool with it,” Pidge herself shrugged.

“Indeed. Keith seems rather adept at translating Kosmo’s desires, so it should be fine,” Allura agreed.

“Plus, look at this face! Such a sweet, lovable little guy!” Hunk crooned, gently smooshing the wolf’s fluffy face and booping his nose with his own.

Shiro sighed and shook his head. “Look, so long as Kosmo doesn’t get wild, it should be fun. But can we please get back to the game?”

Lance harrumped while Keith smirked at him, holding the dice out to the others. “Who wants to roll to see if you can coerce me into your group?” he teased.

Pidge smirked and took them from him. “Get ready to be our little slave, dweebo emo,”


	17. Under the Covers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some days as a Paladin are harder than others, and it can be hard to find ways to cope or unwind. Then again, sometimes it can be a little easier when you have someone with an idea of how to help.

Keith’s eyes snapped open and he groaned, glaring into the darkness surrounding him and flopping over on to his side. It was the third night in a row where he’d had a nightmare severe enough to wake him up and he felt frustrated. He had tried everything he could think of to get rid of the nightmares but nothing seemed to be helping. He had one final thought in mind, but he was hesitant. He didn’t like the idea of being a bother to anyone else. Then again, if he had another sleepless night, he would be a bigger hassle out on the field, too.

So, with a resigned sigh, he rummaged through the small drawer under his bed to pull out the old quilt he kept there. He didn’t remember a whole lot about the old thing, but he knew it was important. It was one of the few things he still had from when his Dad had been alive. Smuggling it to the Garrison had been a fight, and he’d been surprised that it had survived the invasion. It had been a bit beaten and tattered from the years, but Lance and Hunk had patched it back together for him, knowing how much having a small token of home could mean.

With that tossed over one shoulder, he made the short trek down the hall to the bedroom he had in mind. He froze as he reached up to put in the code, memorized from how often he found himself spending time in it. It wasn’t always because of his own nightmares, admittedly, but it still left him torn. Finally, taking a deep breath, he punched it in and walked in as soon as the door slid open.

He was stunned to find the other sitting up in their bed, scowling into the dark much like he had been a few moments ago. She shifted and turned her attention to him, blinking a bit in the low hallway lights illuminating his form. “Keith?” she asked, rubbing at one eye with the heel of her hand.

“Yeah,” he said, crossing the room over to her. “Couldn’t sleep either?”

“I just… Bad thoughts, I guess,” she admitted. She cast a sideways glance at him as she shifted over in her bed, making room for him. “Same issue for you, I take it?”

“Something like that,” he said, stretching the quilt out on top of her own comforter. For some reason, having that thing around just helped him feel comfortable and safe, even if he didn’t remember why. He then slid in beside her. “Sorry if I’m bothering you.”

“You kidding? It’ll probably help me sleep, honestly,” she laughed, latching on to him once he was settled in. She nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, the scent of her citrusy shampoo filling his senses and seeming to coax his muscles into relaxing.

“Oh yeah?” he huffed out quietly.

“Yeah. Something about cuddling with someone you love just makes sleep come easier,” she mumbled, already starting to doze off.

He blinked then chuckled and pressed a small kiss to the top of her head. “I love you too, Pidge,” he said before letting his eyes slip closed.

—————————————————————————–

He didn’t hate sleeping at Nana Eve’s house, but sometimes it just made him feel sad. He wanted to be at home, in his own bed, with Daddy sleeping in the next room. When he stayed at Nana’s house, though, it was always because Daddy had to work a big, long shift at work. And he hated that. He knew his Daddy’s work was important and good because it helped other people, but sometimes he wished he did something else. He knew it was selfish of him but he loved his Daddy, and his Mommy was gone, and he missed his Daddy so much when he was gone.

He sat up and whined, rubbing at his eyes. It didn’t help that he was tired but he couldn’t sleep.

He carefully shimmied out of his bed and made his way down the hallway, to the other bedroom in the house, the door cracked open. The television was on, but Nana wasn’t watching it. Instead, she was gently cuddled under her patchwork quilt. He remembered she once told him the story of how, when she was a little girl around his age, she had watched her own Nana stitch the quilt together piece by piece. She said it was a mentos of her Nana, and that someday it would be Keith’s, too. He felt bad, seeing her sleeping so peacefully, and shifted to head back to his own room. “I hear you there, baby boy,” she rasped out softly, peeking her eyes open and offering him a small smile.

“Nana,” he said quietly, shifting on his feet uncertainly.

“Can’t sleep?” He shook his head. Her smile widened a bit and she nodded. “Here, come sleep in my bed with me. It’s cold tonight so that’s probably what’s keeping you up.” He eagerly headed over, starting to scramble up as she reached out to gently help him. Once he was on the bed, he burrowed under the covers and into her arms eagerly, relaxing completely as she embraced him back and smoothed her fingers through his hair.

“Nana?”

“Mmhmm?”

“I’m sorry,”

“Sorry for what, baby?” she asked worriedly, gently tilting his head up and pushing his bangs out of face to see him better.

“For bothering you,”

“Bothering me? Oh, Keith, my darling,” she cooed softly, “you’re not bothering me one bit!”

“But I woke you up!”

“Doesn’t matter, darling. I’d rather you wake me up than have you sitting in your bed all on your own, feeling cold and lonely,” she said, her voice still gentle.

“But why?”

She giggled a bit, pressing a small kiss to his forehead. “Because I love you, darling. When you love someone as much as I love you, you want to be there to help them when they need you.”

He stared up at her for a moment before smiling and nuzzling into her again. “I love you too, Nana,” he mumbled before letting out a big yawn. He heard her mutter a quiet ‘goodnight’ as the veil of sleep finally took him.


	18. Eye for Detail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She stepped out, opening her mouth and froze at what she spotted. There, beside the fort Keith had built for them, was a watchtower of sorts, constructed entirely out of snow. It had a cylinder-esque shape, with small, slim etching in the snow to give off the illusion of artist liberties being taken. There was a single window, from which Newt was poking his head out of with a pair of binoculars, and it even had a triangular shaped top. Well, it was more like a mushroom, since the snow wouldn’t stick quite how they had wanted, but the point still got across. It was… stunning, really. “Uh, boys?” she rasped out shakily, walking to the very edge of the patio to see it better.

“‘m _bored_!” Newt whined loudly, dangling over the side of the couch. Kaden huffed and give his butt a little nudge, trying to send him spiraling over the other end of the couch. Instead, his younger brother gripped the cushions tighter to keep himself upright, glaring at him over his shoulder. “_Hey_!”

“Stop whining,” he grumbled back, slumping against the cushions himself and staring at the television screen. “Mom and Dad have to finish getting the spare room put together for Nana Olia’s visit. Until they’re done, we can’t really go outside.”

“Why not? I could watch you guys,” another voice chimed in as they wandered in from the kitchen. The two boys perked up and blinked slowly.

Newt let out a little snort of laughter. “Are those bows in your hair?”

The other blinked before reaching up and tapping one of the lacy, glittery accessories clipped into his dark blue curls. “I had to look my best for the tea party. Lady Angelique Marionette is a very hard one to impress, you know,” he said with a shrug. 

“You don’t need to humor her all the time, Noah,” Newt said bluntly.

“I’m not humoring her; I like playing with her,” he said genuinely. He may not be the biggest fan of tea parties, but he didn’t like to disappoint Ari when she invited him to one. He wanted to be a good big brother, after all. “Anyway, I can go ask Mom and Dad if we can play in the backyard. I mean, as long as I’m here to watch you guys, I don’t think they’ll mind.”

“Really?” Kaden asked in surprise.

“_Do it_! _Do it_!” Newt encouraged, bouncing on the couch cushions.

“Do what?” Ari asked as walked over, carrying her little purple and white tea pot. She was most likely preparing to refill it with juice for another round.

“I was gonna see if Mom and Dad will let us all play outside so long as I watch you guys. Sound like fun to you?” he asked curiously.

Ari’s jade eyes shifted from him to the huge, snowy mounds developing in their backyard, before shaking her head. “Uh, no. I’ll just stay inside,” she said, heading to the fridge and pulling out the carton of juice.

“Your loss, then,” Newt laughed as he scrambled off the couch, heading towards his room. “I’m gonna go get my coat and boots on!”

“He hasn’t gotten a yes, yet!” Kaden called after him.

Noah chuckled a bit and shook his head. “It’s fine. I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he said before heading up the stairs. The door to the spare bedroom was propped open to make it easier for his parents to bring things in and out. He poked his head around the door frame and smiled when he saw both of them inside. “Hey, Mom, Dad?” he asked as he walked in.

Keith perked up from where he was putting together the frame for the spare bed. “Oh, hey there, bud. What’s up?”

“Can me and Kaden and Newt play in the snow out back?”

Pidge perked up from where she was dusting off the shelves of the desk in the room, frowning slightly. “Only you three?”

“I asked Ari if she wanted to play outside but she said no. She’s in the middle of a tea party, and there’s been a lot of trouble brewing. Sounds like she might need to mediate stuff between Snuggles and Cuddles again,” he said.

“As long as you three stay in the backyard, I don’t think it’ll be a problem,” Keith said, chuckling and shaking his head a bit. Sometimes the kids came up with the most ridiculous scenarios to put their toys in.

“Just let Ari know to leave her bedroom door open, so that if she needs anything we can hear her, okay?” Pidge added. After a moment she paused again and held one finger up. “Also, please make sure you all wear your mittens and scarves. Newt’s had a problem with remembering to wear those and I don’t want him getting his fingers frost-bitten.”

He smiled and nodded. “Mkay! Thank you,” he said eagerly. He headed out, stopped by Aria’s room to let her know about leaving her door open, and then headed off to his own room. Once he himself was bundled up, he helped Kaden and Newt get themselves put together as well. Newt threw a fit about having to find his mittens, since he hadn’t kept them with the rest of their things, but once they were located and shoved on his hands, the three were outside.

Newt was bouncing on his feet as he charged through a small pile of snow, kicking it all around with uncensored delight. “What should we do? What should we play?” he asked excitedly, wheeling around to look at his older brothers. 

“Hmm… We could build a snowman,” Kaden suggested, reaching down to scoop up a handful of snow.

“Lame! That’s super easy and expected!” Newt complained. “We gotta build something better! Something impressive!”

Kaden smirked and tossed the snowball at his brother, hitting him square in the face. “Not much of an idea guy, are you?” he teased.

Newt scowled before scooping up two arms worth of snow and charging towards him. While his brothers dragged each other through the snow, Noah walked a little further out and looked around. He looked from the large tree in the corner, over to their little wooden play fort. He closed one eye and lifted one hand, clenched in a fist with just his thumb sticking up, as he swept his gaze over the large pile. His eyes lit up as a thought of what to do with all the extra snow came to him. “Hey, I have an idea!” He said excitedly, motioning the two of them over eagerly.

—————————————————————-

“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble for us,” Krolia giggled as she shrugged out of her coat, Kolivan shutting the door behind them.

“It’s no trouble at all; you’re family,” Pidge said warmly, taking the coat from her and hanging it in the closet. She took Kolivan’s next, unsurprised when he was immediately distracted by Ari darting over to greet them excitedly.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Krolia crooned, kneeling down to scoop her youngest grandchild up.

“Hi, Nana, hi, Papa! I missed you both!” she said, eagerly embracing the woman and then reaching for Kolivan.

Keith chuckled as he reached the end of the stairs himself. “They’ve all been really excited for your visit,” he agreed, pausing to look around. “Are your brothers _still _outside?” he asked in slight surprise. He had to a double-check of the clock to verify that, yes, it had been at least two hours since they’d gone outside.

“Probably,” Ari said with a small shrug as she embraced Kolivan. “They like all the snow. Weirdos.”

Krolia laughed. “I’m not too terribly fond of it myself, either,” she hummed.

“Hold on, I’ll go get the boys,” Pidge said, grabbing her coat and shoving her sleeves through as she walked to the door. She had socks on and wasn’t planning to go any further than the patio, so she figured she’d be safe without her boots.

She stepped out, opening her mouth and froze at what she spotted. There, beside the fort Keith had built for them, was a watchtower of sorts, constructed entirely out of snow. It had a cylinder-esque shape, with small, slim etching in the snow to give off the illusion of artist liberties being taken. There was a single window, from which Newt was poking his head out of with a pair of binoculars, and it even had a triangular shaped top. Well, it was more like a mushroom, since the snow wouldn’t stick quite how they had wanted, but the point still got across. It was… stunning, really. “Uh, boys?” she rasped out shakily, walking to the very edge of the patio to see it better.

“Oh, Mom!” Moah said excitedly from his perch at the base of the tower, where he seemed to be reinforcing it some. “What do you think?”

“I… Uh… You guys _made that_? In _two hours_?” she asked slowly, raising one hand to point at it curiously.

“Well, yeah. I mean, it wasn’t easy,” he said, growing a little bit anxious at her words, “and, honestly, I wish I had more time to get things just the way that I wanted. This is kinda, like, a really, really shaky prototype of what I would have liked. Kinda a mesh of the ideas I had that were possible with how much time I had, but it deviated a lot so I just kinda had to make it work. I probably could have made a little snowcase inside the tower because right now it’s just kind of a big pile. I mean, obviously the part where Newt’s out has been hollowed out, but, well, you have to climb inside from one of the fort windows, which is just a little impractical. But Newt was whining that I was taking too long, and him and Kaden wanted to play Battlefield, so… yeah.” His ears had drooped slightly and he kept looking from her to the ground, scuffing some snow around with the toe of his boot.

She reached out to gently set a hand on his head, ruffling his hair under the confines of his hat. “Noah, baby, this is _amazing_! You did _all that_ in _just two hours_? That’s _so incredible_!”

“Really?” he asked in surprise, eyes lighting up and ears perking up.

“Absolutely! You’re being too hard on yourself, Noah! This is _phenomenal!_” she hummed, reaching down to embrace him.

He let out a little giggle and hugged her back. “Well, I like it when I can make Kaden and Newt and Ari happy. And I really like getting to make stuff,” he mumbled shyly.

She smiled and gave him a quick peck to the forehead, looking at the tower again. She made a note to see about maybe getting him into pottery classes or something of that ilk. He might enjoy that quite a bit. She then rose and waved her hand at the others still inside. “Guys! Come out here and look at what Noah made!” she hollered, excited to give her son the chance to show off a little. He was a humble and modest boy, so she always wanted to make sure he got all the attention and encouragement possible when he did something he was really proud of.


	19. Start of a Renaissance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation to my Day 9 fic. After the fall of Voltron against Lotor, the universe is sent into chaos. As things fall apart around them without the powerhouse mecha to defend them, Keith does what little he can to help the struggling masses to survive. But, sometimes, even the darkest of nights still have a few stars to help offer some kind of hopeful glow.

The universe was burning to ash all around them, and Keith Kogane was to blame.

After Pidge usurped the position of Black Paladin from him, he, Krolia and the young wolf had left. Romelle, despite her gratitude to the Kogane’s for all they’d done in helping her reveal Lotor’s betrayal, insisted she was going to stay on the Castle of Lions. He didn’t necessarily blame her; with three of the typical six residents comatose in the healing pods, and the other three struggling to keep things going, they needed someone else to help keep them grounded. Plus, he wagered it was probably her wanting to be with the only Alteans left outside of her colony. It may offer so small comfort to her, given she could never return to her home proper now. And so, with nowhere else to turn, their small group retreated back to the Blade of Marmora main base.

And from there, he had a front row seat to watching the universe burn to the ground.

Word that Lotor’s behemoth of a Robeast had decimated four of the five Voltron Lions spread fasted than he could have imagined, and the backlash when it was revealed that it was Black Lion, the leader of the team, that had survived by not even partaking in the battle, outrage had spread. No one knew him as the Black Paladin any longer and, due to the full knowledge of what transpired between himself, Team Voltron, Lotor, and the possessed Shiro, all of the adoration for his old friend had evaporated overnight. Why would the well-loved and noble leader of Team Voltron abandon his team in a fight against their most fearsome foe yet? It was unthinkable to those that had once rallied behind them, and discontent had spread.

He overheard that planets started to slowly back out from the Coalition and had felt sick. All the hard work that the other Paladin’s had put in to building their reputation, to inspiring the masses across countless galaxies, had been wiped away carelessly. He tried to argue whenever the chance presented itself, but it was infrequent that the other party would hear him out. He spoke out, screamed the truth of what happened, tried _so hard_ to make it known to all that encountered him that they were wrong about Shiro and the others. However, they all just saw him as some heartbroken moron unwilling to accept the truth. No one wanted to defend the previous leader of Voltron and what his mistakes – mistakes that were Keith’s and Keith’s _alone_ – had cost the universe.

In the time to follow, there was no word of what had happened to the Paladin’s, nor any sign of Team Voltron itself. He wasn’t even sure if Lance, Hunk and Shiro were still alive, or if their wounds had been too much. Any attempts to reach them were met with nothing but static or outright blocks. He encountered Matt, once, while trying to coordinate with the rebels in regards to evacuating a planet near a battle waging between Lotor and the Galra. The look of pure scorn on the others face had been worse than a punch to the gut, and when he tried to ask what he knew about Pidge and the others, he got one of those for his troubles, too.

But that had been nearly four years ago, he thought.

Things had gone from bad to worse following the stories of Voltron’s horrific, embarrassing defeat. Lotor began his hostile takeover, intent on ridding the universe of all that would oppose him. Without Voltron to stand toe-to-toe with him, though, the only hope they had was the Galra Empire itself. For the first two years of the frantic war, as everything on the coalition side burned to the ground, becoming scattered remnants of what the Paladin’s had built up, the universe found itself hoping for the Galra to take the tyrant down. It felt repulsive to be hoping that people like Sendak would thrive and smite Lotor, but it was their only hope at any kind of success.

The Blade had been forced to change tactics upon Lotor’s bloody rise and battle against the Galra Empire. All they had been working towards was suddenly impossible. They were no longer needed to tear down the Zarkon’s regime, and any Blades that had toed the line close to the new threat were disposed of post-haste. Lotor’s hate for his own kind was prominent in everything he did, and his desire to rid every nook and cranny of the universe of them was apparent. Thankfully, the Blade members were able to make a switch to a new approach that allowed them to remain in the shadows; rescue and evacuation efforts. It was difficult with no other organizations to assist, but they were at least trying to assist those affected by the two powerhouses of villainy duking it out throughout the universe.

But then Lotor had unleashed new, powerful machines near identical to the Sincline on to the masses, powered and controlled by the Altean colonists he’d kept tucked away for so long. The Galra Empire was quickly disposed of after that. Many had perished in the slaughter; including a few he’d met through the Blade. The closest it got for him was Adwru, another of the younger Blade members, crushed under falling ship debris while helping to evacuate a city. There were other Blades lost, countless innocent lives snuffed out by Lotor’s warpath, and all the while he wished that death would grip it in its cold grasp.

It seemed, in that moment, his luck had run out.

Beside him, one of the small children he’d been trying to lead to safety clutched to his leg, eyes wide with horror at the metallic beast looming above them. The poor thing couldn’t have been much older than the human equivalent of three. In the distance he could hear the horrified shrieks of the child’s parents, trying to break them from their stupor and call them to safety. He tried to guide them away but he could fell them shaking, paralyzed by their fear. A part of him wanted to shout at them to let go and run, to find some way to kick their flight or fight reflex into gear, but he had learned that sometimes it was of no use. He reached out, gripping the small tot and hoisting them into his arms. He was going to have to make a break for it, try to at least get them closer to their parents.

The Robeast shifted, moving to swipe at him, when a loud, furious roar pierced the air around them. There was a rush of wind as something huge flew overhead, the wind current strong enough that it sent him toppling over on to the ground. He kept his own body above the child’s, pinning them close to shield them as much as he could, while his pulse pounded in his own ears.

It couldn’t be, could it?

That first roar was followed by four more, all just as furious, and there was another rush of wind around him. He waited until the wind passed to push himself and the child upright again, their parents rushing over to take them. He handed the child over without argue, offering a shaky smile at the sobbed ‘thank you’s of their parents, the three of them clutching to each other as tight as they could. He motioned them back, heading towards the slope the natives had been evacuating through, and paused at the peak to look over, unbothered by how sand was kicked up around him by the wind whipping around him.

There, firing and charging at the Robeast, were all five Lions of Voltron.

Only Black Lion maintained the integrity of the designs as they’d first known them, the only one that had escaped that battle so long ago, though there seemed to be upgrades made to her claws and fangs. Green, Red, Blue and Yellow were all repaired using some kind of gleaming, silver material, patching them back together almost like spots in their old respective coat colors. Almost all of Red Lion’s head was composed of the new silver color, with only a few strips of red left, as well as one of her back legs being completely replaced by it as well. Blue Lion’s eyes had been replaced with some kind of bright green material and her entire hindquarters had been remolded with the new mineral. There seemed to be small plates flattened along her front and back legs, but due to the outlining on them it seemed to imply they could protrude if necessary. Yellow Lion’s entire bottom jaw, as well as most of his bulky back shield. Furthermore, it seemed he’d been given additional shield plates all long his back, glinting in the bright sun beams above them. Keith watched, stunned, as Blue fired a laser shot at Yellow, only for it to bounce of and pierce into the shoulder of the Robeast. The entirety of Green’s breast plate had required replacing, as well as her back plate that had once formed Voltron’s shield, and her right eye had also been replaced with the same material as both of Blue’s. There was a strip of the silver material along it as well, standing out like a scar that matched her old Paladin’s.

A part of him had wanted to almost laugh at the irony of it, but he was too stunned to see them in action.

They moved in perfect harmony, just like he remembered, ducking and weaving and charging in when another had to take a step back. It was stunning to see them in battle again for the first time in nearly half a decade. Had they found another comet to rebuild them? And were the new upgrades a side effect of that, or a new direction the team decided to go with the Lions? Another of the Blades seized up his shoulder and yanked him over the other end of sand dune where the crowds were gathered, all peering over smaller slopes to catch a glimpse of Voltron.

“Is it _true_? Are those the Lions of Voltron?”

“Our _prayers_ have been _answered_!”

“There is hope again! Voltron had _finally returned_!”

He peered over the edge, stunned to see the Lions taking the Robeast down without even needing to form Voltron. He watched as they tore the thing to part, the whole spectacle reminding him of a documentary he’d seen in his youth of real lions on the savanna. The denizens around him cheered in delight and joy, some of them even sobbing in their pure glee. Keith himself could feel the spark of hope flickering to life inside of him. Once the Robeast was completely incapacitated, the Lions trotted away, sitting in the same half-circle that they typically did. They all lowered their heads one by one, dropping their jaws so that their Paladins could walk out.

The Blade member that had pulled him over the dune nudged him, “Sir? Should we go introduce ourselves to them?” they asked. It took him a moment before he realized that the young rookie was actually Bopud, one of the few Blades he worked with frequently enough to recognize.

His stomach roiled uncomfortably before he nodded. “Yes. Have one of the native leaders come with us, as well,” he said firmly, pushing himself upright and starting to head back over the dune. He waited for a moment as the younger Blade followed after, helping an elder of the group make her way over. Once they reached level ground, she was able to use her came properly, but he and the other Blade stayed close by, just in case. His hand itched to pull out his mask and place it on, in hopes that it would help to make things go easier, but he knew better. Pidge would be able to pick him out of a crowd of Blades in full ensemble in less than a minute flat.

Instead, he kept his shoulders squared and tried to keep his expression composed. With each step, however, it grew harder to keep his resolve.

As they got closer, the five Paladins removed their helmets and he was surprised. Allura still sported the pink armor of before, as well as a short bob hairstyle, and a few more scars from whatever had happened in the time between their return. The big thing that caught him was that she was no longer in charge of the Blue Lion; instead, she had been the one to exit Red Lion. He was filled with a brief sense of pure horror at what that could mean, but was then relieved when the Blue Paladin’s helmet was pulled off to reveal Lance. There was a jagged scar along his left cheek, starting just below his eye, and cutting in a wide mark all the way down and across half of his neck. He couldn’t even imagine how painful that wound had to have been, or how long it must have taken to recover from. He also noticed the other walked a bit awkwardly, as if one of his legs was stiff and needed to wake up. A quick glance revealed it to be his right leg, and he had to swallow back shame at the realization that he’d most likely needed to have the whole thing replaced.

He had figured that Hunk would still be piloting Yellow, but was surprised to see that it was instead Romelle. The young Altean had some smaller, fainter scars on her face, most likely earned in her recent beginnings as a Paladin, but seemed rather upbeat about everything. She was speaking excitedly to Hunk, who was now wearing green armor. He watched as the other man reached up, tampering with some small devices hooked into his ears, before answering her. Hearing aids, he realized, and felt like he wanted to run. The fact that someone as compassionate as Hunk, always willing to listen to other people when they needed him, had lost his natural hearing as a result of his injuries made him feel sick. Other than that, he could see the tail end of a scar sticking out from under his signature headband, cutting through his eyebrow. Additionally, the normally boisterous and lively man seemed more subdued, more introverted.

And, lastly, there stood the figure of the Black Paladin herself, Pidge Gunderson.

Much like Allura and Romelle, there were more scars on her. He could definitely say that her right eye had been replaced with a cybernetic implant that looked realistic. He could only tell because of how it gleamed with a glass-like sheen in the bright light of the sun above. Her hair had been grown out and tied back in a bun behind her, and he had to admit that the black color of her new armor complimented her nicely. She was quite a bit taller than last he’d seen her, thought she still stood a bit shorter than the others on the team. Even still, something about the way she was carrying herself - shoulders squared, head tilted up, face schooled into a composed half-smile - seemed to just scream to all of them that there was no doubt which Lion she helmed.

“Hunk, were you able to do any kind of scans on that thing when we took it down?” she asked, turning her attention to him beside her.

“Yes. It seems that, much like with the last one, there was a living form inside controlling it,” he said coolly, pulling up a small holoscreen.

“Which means that our theory is basically confirmed,” Romelle said softly, voice catching with fear. Hunk reached a hand up and settled it on her shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze and small smile when she looked at him. She smiled back and nodded. “You are right, Hunk. Thank you.” she said softly, reaching up to set one hand atop his.

Pidge nodded before turning to Allura, the young woman already pulling up a holopad of her own. “I have already sent the information along to Coran and Shiro on the Atlas. They will be able to safely retrieve the Altean from inside the cockpit and transport them to the medical bay,” she explained. “Once we return to the ship, before they awake, I will see to removing Haggar’s poisonous presence from them. Allow them the chance to recover fully from everything.”

“You’ve already done so much in the last two days, though, Allura,” Lance commented softly.

“I agree with Lance,” Pidge said with a quick nod of her head. She turned her attention to the young man. “Lance, send work back to Luka and see if she feels comfortable helping this one on her own. She was able to successfully do it the last three times without Allura intervening, correct?”

“Indeed. She’s been the fastest when it comes to learning from Princess Allura,” Romelle said happily.

“Well, of course she’s figuring it out. With a teacher as incredible as Allura, how could you not?” Lance chuckled, pulling up his own holopad and beginning to click away at it.

“Lance,” Allura said with a small giggle, looking away bashful.

He offered her a small, genuine smile of his own. “I’m just telling the truth,” he hummed.

“Paladins?” Bopud asked softly, taking a step forward to get their attention. All five turned to face him, and Keith saw them move from Bopud, to the elder, before landing on him. The spark of recognition that flitted across her eye was quickly replaced with scorn. The only one who showed any warmth for him was Romelle, who meekly raised one hand and waggled her fingers at him.“We are with-!”

“With the Blade of Marmora. We are well-aware,” Hunk cut in flatly.

“We worked with the Blade, long ago,” Allura said, her voice a bit tight. She stared at Keith hard before turning her attention to young Bopud. “We have also heard that the Blade has been doing what it can, where it can. That has been comforting, considering we have been repairing the Lions so we could battle properly.”

Bopud seemed to brighten under the slight praise before indicating the elder politely. “This is High Priestess Guuiel, who has been in charge of the planet,”

Guuiel raised one of her hands up in greeting. “I never thought I would live to see the day the Paladins of Voltron would return. Bless you all,” she said softly.

Lance offered a small smile before stepping forward, offering an arm to her and taking her cane with the other. “You must be tired from everything that’s happened. Let me help you back to the rest of your group, so you can rest a bit. Once the rest of our team gets here, we’ll also be able to properly tend to the sick and injured among you,” he said.

“Oh, why thank you, young man! Such a sweetheart you are,” she mused as they headed off. Romelle was just a few paces after them. Hunk and ALlura, seeming to sense the tension between the other two, guided Bopud away, Allura inquiring into the type of equipment and resources the Blade had been using to assist the masses in the last four years.

Pidge stayed rooted to her spot, one hand resting against Black’s nose, staring him down. “I’m surprised you’re alive,” she commented evenly.

“I could say the same to you,” he admitted, trying to get his posture to relax some. He knew Pidge wouldn’t actively attack him; not without being provoked, as least. “Considering how Matt reacted when I asked about you and the team, I kind of assumed…”

She laughed outright at that. “Ah, he actually listened to me! I told him to give you a nice one if he saw you before I did,” she hummed. She then turned to look back out at the other Lions. “It took a lot of time to get the Lions to where they are now. But… Much like a phoenix, the Lions have been reborn from the ashes of what they once were. Interesting what a little bit of teamwork can do, huh?” she said, finally letting her hand slip away from Black. Then, without another word, she began following the path the others had started.

He watched her go, a dull ache in his chest. Once again, it seemed he’d be left in the dust.


	20. Portions for Foxes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cause you're just damage control  
For a walking corpse like me, like you

Everything sucked for Katie Holt. It was her own fault, sure, but it didn’t mean it was any less frustrating.

She pushed herself upright, sitting up and staring at the prone figure beside her. He was lying on his belly, arms stuffed under his pillow, face pressed into the plush bedding. His hair was still mussed up from sleep, the fringes of his bangs falling in dark stripes over his closed eyes. She hugged her knees close to her chest and rested her head against them, watching him as he shifted to nuzzle closer to his pillow, grumbling something into the fabric too quiet to be heard. She couldn’t help but smile a bit, despite herself. He was surprisingly cute, underneath the gruff exterior.

She had learned a great many things about him in the weeks since their little… Whatever it was had started.

She’d been heartbroken and furious and just a little bit tipsy the night it all started, nearly three months ago. Her boyfriend of nearly two years, James Griffin, had broken up with her only one month before, and then found out that night he had already started seeing Ina Leifsdottir, a mutual friend of theirs. And, as if to just rub salt into the wound, she found out that a few of their other mutual friends had known about it before her and never said anything. And so, she decided to go out that night, alone, to a frat party and forget her woes.

And it was there she bumped into Keith Kogane, campus recluse and one of James’ least favorite members of the student body.

They got to chatting, had a couple drinks. He had seemed a bit surprised when she approached him at the table covered in various different types of liquor and asked him to pour her a glass of something strong and blackout worthy. “Aren’t you Griffin’s girl?” he asked curiously.

“Not anymore, I’m not. Now hurry it up with the drink,” she had barked back impatiently.

She was surprised to find that he seemed to find that reaction amusing enough to fulfill her request, pouring one for each other them He then held his Solo cup up towards her. “To the users and abusers we all have to deal with?” he prompted.

She stared at him for a moment, stunned at this deviate from what the rumors she’d heard told her to expect of him, before chuckling a bit. “Fucking cheers, I’ll drink to that,” she laughed, tapping her cup against his and taking a huge swig. It took all her self-control and pride to not spit it back out with how strong the taste of boozes was.

She spent the rest of that night hovering in the back with him, the two of them making fun of James and some of the other party-goers. She found that he was a lot funnier than people gave him credit for, his dry, blunt delivery leaving her wheezing every time. And she knew it wasn’t just because she had more liquor in her system than she should have. They bailed out to the roof for a bit to star gaze, swapping slurred stories and more saliva than they should have. When campus security showed up to shut the party down, they bailed out the back together, dipped to his apartment, and ended up hooking up on his couch. They had agreed early on that if it happened, it happened. They both wanted to get under James’ skin and, as petty as it was, seemed like a good enough reason.

The next morning, he actually ran down to the convenience store near his apartment to get her some ginger ale and said nothing when she scarfed down four plain slices of his sandwich bread.

“Sorry I wasn’t prepared for this,” he mumbled as she took another swig from her bottle. When all she gave him was a confused glance, he had flushed and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, but… I don’t really do this all that often.”

“The drinking or the hooking up?” she asked bluntly.

She kind of liked how the flush crept all the way to the tips of his ears at her brashness. “Both,” he admitted.

She tilted her head a bit at him, taking another sip of her ginger ale. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing a good job. I mean, I don’t do this often myself, so I guess I wouldn’t know, but still,” she rambled, fiddling with the cap of the bottle as she spoke.

He had smiled and leaned back against the kitchen counter. “Well, as long as you’re giving me a passing grade, I’ll take it,” he said.

And, ever since then, they’d fallen into a certain habit.

They hung out sober and got along great, which was nice. Katie still hung out with her old friends, but sometimes it felt hard. Nadia seemed adamant in wanting to pretend all the unpleasantness hadn’t happened at all, try and pretend things were the way they used to be. She would try to get the group together like how it used to be, inviting James and Ina along, and Katie would then have to scramble with finding a way out. Most of the time, those were the nights she’d end up calling Keith up and creeping into his bed with him.

Not that it was a one-way affair. There had been quite a few nights where the shoe had been on the other foot, too.

She appreciated that they felt comfortable enough with each other to essentially use each other that way and not take it personally. Perhaps it was because they treated one another as friends outside of the bedroom and occasionally did things together. Perhaps it was because they didn’t have a prior history before that. Regardless, though, she knew she was going to be sad when things between them ended. A part of her told her to do it sooner rather than later. She could already feel herself catching feelings, and the last thing she needed was another heartache so soon.

He wasn’t anything like any of the other guys she had been interested in before. She was normally attracted to guys like James Griffin; guys that, for the most part, seemed to have a clean appearance and approach to life. They didn’t go getting into trouble, maintained top-ranking grades, always made sure to dot their ‘I’s and cross their ‘T’s. She thought it was a nice balance with her, who had a bad tendency of running her mouth and getting scatterbrained from time to time. They helped to balance her out, to help keep her honest. Meanwhile, Keith was a guy with a past littered with confrontation with the authorities – “It’s all juvenile offenses. And I don’t count’em since they aren’t easily accessible,” – and seemed to occasionally get just as lost as she did once he got distracted by something he found more interesting. He had told her how, while working on a rebuild of a motorcycle, he had actually forgotten about dinner until it was nearly midnight, when he finally finished what he was doing.

She let out a quiet sigh as she reached out, gently tucking a few strands of hair behind his ear. “This is what I get for getting attached to people, huh?” she mumbled to herself.

He shifted and she yanked her hand back to herself, quickly letting her legs drop. He let out a quiet grumble and cracked his eyes open. He then reached up with one hand and rubbed at his eyes. “Mornin’,” he mumbled.

“Morning,”

“How long have you been up?” he asked through another yawn as he pushed himself to sit up as well.

“Not very,” she said with a small shrug. She watched him for a moment before turning to get out of bed. “You hungry?”

“Yeah. You offering to cook for once?” he said teasingly, voice raspy with sleep but perking up slightly at the jest in his tone.

“Only if you got the actually got the stuff for French toast in your fridge,” she teased back.

His violet eyes got wide. “Oh, _shit_,” he breathed in sleepy delight, “I think I _do_.”

She laughed as she pulled her panties and sweatpants back on, shaking her head. She told herself that, at least right now, it was okay to indulge a little.

—————————————————————————————————

“He didn’t sleep with her,” she blurted out, staring up at the darkened ceiling of Keith’s bedroom. It had only been about four days since last she’d come by. That night, however, Nadia had tricked her. She had promised that it was just going to be the two of them, Lance and Veronica that night, doing a movie marathon at the McClain residence. Just as the first ten minutes of the film played, though, James and Ina had shown up, bringing cookies and ice cream and wine with them.

Katie had excused herself to the bathroom, snuck out the window, and ducked out to Keith’s. Like usual. She called him first, to make sure it was okay, and he had listened patiently as she rambled about James showing up with his new girlfriend. She hadn’t cried about it, thankfully, but had just been pissed that one of her friends would knowingly lie to her like that. She wasn’t ready to be friends with either of them again, not knowing what she knew. He hadn’t asked her anything when he let her in, just kissed her breathless and stupid as he led her to the back.

But, as they’d laid there and caught their breath, she’d seen the questions he wanted to ask but didn’t. He was so damn respectful of her boundaries and privacy that sometimes it kind of scared her. None of the others had been like that and she found that she liked that much more than she thought reasonable.

And, she realized as the words left her lips, she trusted him with it all.

“He didn’t… technically cheat,” she said more softly, for clarification.

“Define technically,” he scoffed.

“Our relationship… It was struggling for a while before he finally ended it. During last term, I took six classes, and… I passed them all, but it was way too much stress. I was snappy all the time, constantly anxious… James would try to help me, encourage me to take breaks and go do something else, like going out with him, but I was so worried about what it would do to my grades and scholarships… Looking back on it, I must have been a nightmare to deal with,” she admitted.

“Sounds like he couldn’t deal with not being your top priority,” Keith scoffed.

“What do you mean?” she asked, shifting to lay on her side and look at him.

“I’m not saying that he shouldn’t have been a priority,” he said evenly, “but he should have also respected that your academics were important. I mean, you’re trying to get your degree so you can have your dream job. Shouldn’t he want to encourage that? I mean, maybe it means you two had to spend some time apart, but there were other ways around it. He could have offered to help you study or something like that.”

She stared at him for a moment before shifting closer, ducker her head to rest against his shoulder. “Is this… Is this okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” He said, moving to gently loop an arm around her waist, his hand stroking along her back.

She closed her eyes and tied to will herself to relax, to enjoy his warmth. To think he’d understood what she’d wanted… He really was going to break her heart.


	21. Leap of Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three times Keith put his trust in other people and things turned out just fine. And one time he encouraged someone else to put their trust in him.

Keith had never felt anything quite like the rush of emotion he’d felt when he held Amber Rose Kogane for the first time.

She has small and fussy and only a few minutes old, but she was theirs; he and Pidge’s. All their years of struggle and strife had led to them finally having the chance to settle down, to start the family they had always talked about. The family he had always dreamed about. In that moment, he had never felt so simultaneously important and insignificant.

Not as the Red or Black Paladin.

Not as a member or leader of the Blade of Marmora.

In that moment, holding their daughter, their first child, he had never felt such a weight on him to succeed. He was one of her primary protectors now. He would have a huge impact on the person she would grow to become, in the kind of people she would associate with, in the expectations she’d have on how those around her treated her. On one hand, it felt so small and simple. Other people became parents every day and didn’t work themselves up as badly as he did. The whole concept should be and feel mundane.

But to him? To him, this was something entirely world-altering. Being a father was going to be the most important job he ever had, and the realization of that made him feel panicked.

But, as he gently cradled her, his gaze shifting from her to Pidge, watching him with tired but warm eyes, he felt the knot in his belly unfurl ever so slightly. Through everything and all his mistakes, she’d always been by his side, helping to encourage him. While she didn’t hand-wave away his mistakes, she also didn’t constantly throw them back in his face, and was quite to point out when she felt he was right about something. Moreso than he had sometimes believed in himself and his skills, she had. She trusted him so deeply that she agreed to be his girlfriend, then his wife, and now the mother of his children. She trusted him to be a great father, just as he’d proven himself to be a great partner, and somehow that felt like the greatest compliment he could ever be given. And if she trusted him that much, even if he wasn’t sure of it himself, he knew it would be okay. Because, above all else, he trusted her judgment more than anyone else he’d ever known.

———————————————————

A part of Keith still felt a little anxious as they made their way home from the hospital a few days later, their newborn baby snoozing peacefully in her car seat in the backseat. In the hospital, there had been nurses and doctors coming and going, always there to lend a hand or answer a question. When they’d been discharged, they’d been given a few brochures and lists of resources to seek out if they felt they needed the help, sure, but that was different. They were finally saddling up to start the Wild West exploration that was going to be raising a child.

And, while he knew he couldn’t have a better partner, he was still a bit nervous.

Unlike Pidge, he didn’t exactly have a family to fall back on for advice. Sure, he knew he could always reach out to and confide in Samuel if he needed, but a part of him yearned to have a parent he could turn to. The fact that his own father was long dead and that Krolia had disappeared to parts unknown right after he and Pidge announced the pregnancy only highlighted to him how blind he was going in to everything.

So, considering all that, he was rather stunned when they pulled up to find a Blade cruiser settled in their front yard, and Krolia pacing in front of their door. She had a small, slim box in her hands, decorated in gleaming silver wrapping paper and topped with a little purple bow. “Huh,” he trailed softly as he put the car into park. She jolted to awareness when she heard the car, then relaxed visibly.

“Wasn’t expecting company quite this soon, but it seems fair. She’s the only one who hasn’t seen Amber yet. You should go let her know that she gets to meet her granddaughter today,” Pidge commented, giving him a look. She didn’t need to say it out loud for him to know what she was getting at.

Get out there and talk to your mother.

“Yeah,” he said quietly, killing the engine. She waited until he was already out and making his way around the car to get out and grab Amber. As he approached, Krolia shifted her feet, seeming suddenly nervous. “Hey, Mom. Been a while.” he said, trying to remain casual.

“Yes. I do apologize for leaving in such a rush like that,” she said.

“Why, you left in such a rush that you didn’t even take the time to tell us how you felt about having a grandchild,” he said, his frustration starting to slip in.

“I had good reason for it!” she insisted, her own tone immediately becoming defensive. She perked up as Pidge walked over to join them, one arm looped through the large handle of the car seat, and her expression immediately melted at the sight of the baby sleeping inside. “Oh, my goodness.” She breathed.

And, just like that, a bit of Keith’s frustration ebbed away.

He ushered them all inside, the two of them allowing Pidge to head in with Amber first. Once inside, Pidge set the car seat down on the couch and started working to unclasp her so that Krolia could see her proper. While she did that, Krolia presented the box to Keith. “This is why I was away for so long,” she said quietly. He cocked his head before carefully prying the paper off, lifting the lid on the box, and pulling out a beautiful, unmarred and recently forged luxite blade. He had been a little choked up at first, then a little less so when she revealed she had seven more waiting in her cruiser, as she’d been unsure how many children a human had at one time, and then completely befuddled when she revealed that he had an unknown Uncle somewhere in the universe.

Once Amber was nestled in the crook of Krolia’s arms, Pidge excused herself to take her first real shower in days. He managed to swipe a quick kiss from her before she disappeared, then glanced over at his mother, staring down at Amber with unbridled affection. He wondered, briefly, if she’d looked at him that way when he was that small but opted against asking. “Have you two selected a name?” she asked quietly.

“Amber Rose Kogane is her full name. We’ve just been calling her Amber, or Amber Rose, though,” he said, unable to keep a smile from his face as he peered at his daughter in her arms.

“It’s a beautiful name,” she said, briefly glancing up at him and then back at the snoozing baby. “_She’s_ a beautiful little girl.”

“Thank you,” he said softly.

She looked back up at him briefly. “I’m going to be here, as often as I can be. For both you, and her,” she said quietly, her voice sounding a bit thick, like her words were a struggle to get out. She then looked back down at Amber, a sad little smile turning up on her lips. “I didn’t get to spend as much time with you when you were young as I would have liked. But perhaps that was for the best.”

“What do you mean?” he asked in surprise.

“If I had been around, you may have taken after me more,” she said quietly. She reached up with one finger and gently stroked one of her little cheeks. “I see so much of your father in you, in looks and attitude and how you take care of those around you. I’m glad for that. I know you’re going to be a wonderful father, just like he was.”

He stared at her for a moment before shifting a bit closer and resting his head against her shoulder, smiling when she rested her head on top of his. He felt a sense of relief in knowing she was there with him. This was all going to be new, he thought, but it was okay. It was going to be new for Pidge, too; even if she did have people she could ask for help.

And, he thought, he found trust Krolia to be there to help him in her own way, too.

———————————————————

He was stretched out on his back, across the living room floor, with Amber sitting on his chest. He had his hands settled on her sides to help keep her upright and she was grinning wide at him, her little hands patting along his. She was six months old now, and didn’t really need his support to sit up, but he still liked getting to stay close to her. She reached up with one hand and patted his nose, giggling when he tilted his head to the side dramatically, as if she’d stuck him. “Oh! Ya _got_me!” he lamented.

She squealed and clapped her hand, which made him chuckle. “Having fun, I see,” Pidge mused from her perch in the doorway to the kitchen.

He chuckled and moved to sit back up properly, holding her up so he could move. “Always,” he said, settling her in his lap once he was sitting back up again. “Have a nice chat with Matt?”

Yeah. He actually made an interesting offer,” she mused, walking into the room and sitting down across from him. She stretched her legs out to form a V-shape, patting the carpet in front of her gently. Amber perked up and looked over at her, making an excited little gurgle.

“Oh yeah?” he asked, imitating her stance, stretching out his own legs so that his toes were touching hers, form a diamond shaped enclosure for Amber. He then set her down in a seated position in front of him, chuckling when she immediately dropped on to her belly, trying to figure out how to make her way over to Pidge.

“Mmhmm. He said that, this weekend, if we wanted to go out on a date, he and Shiro would be happy to babysit Amber for us,” she said, leaning over with a small grunt and scooping their baby up. “You’ll get it one of these days. According to everything I’ve read, you’ve got another month before you’ll have that mastered.” And then, with a small grin, she leaned forward and starting blowing raspberries on her chubby little cheeks.

Amber’s delighted squeals did nothing to quell the anxiety that coursed through Keith. Spending a night away from their daughter? Like, for a good couple of hours? The idea bothered him. What if something happened? “What did you say?” he asked.

“I told him that I’d need to talk to your first,” she said with a small shrug before pulling Amber close, cradling her and pressing a small kiss to her forehead. “You seem apprehensive.”

“I’m… _not_,” he trailed uncertainly.

“You totally are. I can see how tense you are from here,” she said with a small smile, poking his foot with her own pointed toes.

“Okay, I’ll admit it; I’m _a little_ nervous,” he relented, looking from her to the grinning baby in her arms. It was strange, he thought, how very quickly she had become the center of his universe. She wasn’t even alive for a full year yet, and the thought of life without her left him feeling nauseous. “We haven’t really had any extended periods of time away from her. I mean, unless you count ten minute convenience store runs while Colleen and Sam are here. The idea of spending at least two hours away… It feels weird.”

“If you don’t want to, I can tell him no,” she offered.

He shook his head. He knew that, as much as Pidge loved Amber and spending time with her, she had been craving some one-on-one time between the two of them. She’d most likely just been holding off because of how protective of her he was. “I want to. I… I know we can trust them with her,” he admitted, blinking in surprise as the words left his mouth.

He hadn’t expected to say them, even if they were how he felt.

She laughed gently and quirked an eyebrow at him. “You sure about that? I mean, this _is_ my brother we’re talking about,” she teased, reaching out and setting Amber in the open space between them, facing Keith.

She stared up at him, honey-colored eyes bright with excitement, and began to aggressively, “Dadadada” at him.

He leaned forward and scooped her back up, cradling her against his chest and gently nuzzling the top of her head. “I’m sure. Besides, Shiro will be here, too,” he said, just as playful.

And, a few nights later, the knot that seemed omnipresent in his stomach unfurled even more, when they crept inside to find Matt and Shiro passed out on the couch, little Amber snoozing happy on her Uncle’s chest.

———————————————————

Keith scowled as he scanned the egregious crowd wandering about his house, all excitedly chatting with each other about this or that. Perhaps they were speculating on the name he and Pidge had picked for baby number two, or the gender, which they planned to reveal later on, but regardless, they were in his way. He had checked outside, where the other kids were all gathered and playing, but there hadn’t been any sign of her there. He checked her room, but she wasn’t in there either; though, he did noticed that her favorite stuffed giraffe, Ribbons, was missing from her bed. While part of him knew she couldn’t have gone out and had to be in the house, worry still gripped him fast.

“Yo, Keith,” Lance called, waving him over from his perch at the present table. He blinked before heading over.

“Hey, is it important? I’m kinda having trouble-!” he started to say.

“Finding Amber, right?” Lance prompted. He nodded his head down the hallway again. “I saw her go upstairs a minute ago. Seemed a little upset.”

“She wasn’t in her room, though,” he said with a worried frown, more upset at the thought that there was something wrong. Had one of the other kids been mean to her? Or had she fallen and gotten hurt outside?

“Did you check you and Pidge’s room? When I was a kid and I got upset, I used to duck to my parents’ room all the time,” he commented.

“Oh, good point! Thanks, Lance,” he said, waving briefly before heading back upstairs. He pushed the door open and was immediately struck with the muffled sound of sniffling. The closet door was cracked open. He walked over and pushed it up slowly, seeing his daughter’s little form hunched in on herself, opening sobbing. “Ber-Ber, baby girl, why are you crying?” he asked softly, sliding down and crawling towards hers.

“Because!” she shouted, peeking at him with big, watery eyes that looked surprisingly empty. Then, she pushed her face down in and burrowed into the top of Ribbon’s head.

“Sweetie,” he crooned, reaching out and pulling her to him, choosing to ignore how she squirmed and tried to get away, “that’s not an answer. Can you tell me what made you sad and cry?”

She looked up at him again, lower lip jutting out in a pout, before looking back down at her plush toy. “Cause you and Mommy aren’t gonna love me anymore,” she mumbled.

He blinked in surprise. “Ber-Ber, baby, why would you think that?”

“Because you’re having a new baby!”

“Amber, you were so excited about having a baby brother before. What changed your mind?”

“Lizzie said that Mommy’s and Daddy’s only have _new_ babies when they wanna get rid of the _old ones_! So… So that means-!” she choked off at the end, whole body shaking as a new set of sobs started up.

Keith pulled her in closer and tighter, gently rubbing one hand up her back. He didn’t know exactly who Lizzie was, but he made a note to ask Pidge about. Talk to the kid’s parents about respect, maybe. “Amber, sweetheart, we’d never want to replace you. We love you with all our hearts,” he cooed softly.

“T-Then why are you having another baby?” she sniffled.

“Well, you keep saying you want to have a baby brother or sister to play with, for one. And, for two, we thought it’d be nice to have two little babies to love,” he said softly. “Just because we’re having another baby doesn’t mean we’re going to love you any less. Things are gonna be a little different once your baby brother is here, but different isn’t bad.”

She looked up at him, her tears starting to subside a bit. “B-But Lizzie said-!”

“Amber, do you trust me?” he asked softly. She blinked a bit before nodding meekly. “Then believe me when I promise that you aren’t going anywhere, and that Mommy and I are gonna love you until forever.”

“_Forever_ forever?” she mumbled.

“Forever forever times _infinity_,” he chuckled, giving her sides a little pinch and pressing a kiss to her forehead. She giggled and squirmed before throwing one arm around his neck and snuggling into him. “And if Lizzie has a problem with it, you can tell her to go kick rocks.”

She giggled. “Mkay. I love you, Daddy,” she hummed softly, relaxing completely in his arms. His chest swelled with pride and affection, pleased to be able to reassure her. She was his first little baby, and knowing that she trusted him, knew he would keep his promises.

And, a few weeks later, as he dozed in the rocking chair in Kaden’s room, both of his children snuggled up in his arms, he couldn’t help but smile. Life was good, he thought.


	22. Ties that Bind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Really, really short kinda experimental thing featuring one the two as a deity and the other as the hapless hero who unleashed them.

Before their eyes, the world rushed by, generations after generations. People milled to and fro, withering into dust and blowing away, everything flickering in between color and monochrome. Cities were erected before being burnt and crashed, reawakening from the rumble and then burning to ask again, over and over. The cities and people wasted away to nothing, gleaming with a pale golden light before yielding to wide, spacious forests, brimming with woodland creatures. But, just as quickly as the trees appeared, they melted into dark, armored forms toting guns and swords, charging forward.

They cut through their form, laying siege on a cluster of terrified people just past them.

Their eyes widened and their stomach roiled at the vision before them. They growled, clenching their fists and moving as if to surge forward, to try and attack the illusionary soldiers.

“My, you’re an interesting one, aren’t you?” An amused voice purred right in their ear before they felt fingers stroking their cheeks.

They tried to reach up and grab the hands they felt, but there was nothing.

“Oh, my. You can’t go touch yet,” The voice goaded on. “You haven’t even gone through the trouble of awakening me proper.”

“Who… Are you?”

“I am someone who can grant you power. All you have to do is agree to be my champion,”

“And what would that entail?”

“So many questions right off the bat… I must admit it’s a nice change of pace. For now? Just awaken me,” the voice said, a dark hole opening up beneath their feet.

Before they could protest, the hole swallowed them up, falling through the night sky.


	23. Light in the Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ll be sure to remember that for future reference,” she teased. She then glanced back at up at him, the flames dancing in her eyes. “So, other than the cutest ball of fluff in the known universe, what else did you gain from the Quantum Abyss?”

Traveling back to Earth was going to be arduous and tedious, but it was the only way they’d be able to regain some semblance of control in the swelling tides of war. While Keith himself didn’t really have much to look forward to back in orbit – what with Krolia heading off with Kolivan to try and unit the remaining scattered Blades – but he understood why the others were excited. For as much as a part of him wanted to forewarn them of what little the Quantum Abyss had revealed to him, he also knew better. Fate, he had learned, wasn’t set in stone. It could be changed or persuaded to take an alternate avenue.

He knew that much after his battle with Shiro. In the Quantum Abyss, he’d been shown a vision of himself having to kill the other man. Instead, as they set up camp on a small, forest-esque planet, he could see him across the campsite, helping to clear a spot for them to start a fire. Fate had been changed there by a combination of Keith’s own refusal to accept it, and Allura’s prolific abilities. Perhaps, by some greater power, things would be different than he’d seen on Earth. He certainly hoped so, anyway. For the sake of the others.

He also surmised that this applied to all the visions he’d had, excluding the glimpses into the past he’d caught. Thus, he realized, things he’d seen for his own future and the future of the others could also be altered. He made a note to himself to keep that in mind, as there were certainly things to come that he wanted to stop. He knew there was the risk of altering other things with his actions, but it felt like a risk he had to take. His teammates had all given up so much already and he was going to personally see to it they got to have a happy ending when all was said and done.

Conversation as they ate was sparse. They had originally just been coasting through space, sleeping in their Lions, but after a quick dog fight with some rogue space pirates, they had opted to try and make camps more often. They would find planets that had good coverage that could mask the Lions to allow them some rest. They would still need to be vigilant, though.

“I’ll take the first watch,” Keith offered calmly, tossing a few more sticks into the fire.

“Are you sure? You’ve probably had the longest time of action out of any of us,” Allura said worriedly.

“We’ve all been through a lot recently. Besides, I can handle it,”

“Blades got you ready for stuff like this?” Lance asked.

“Something like that,” he said with a shrug. He settled in front of the fire, Kosmo, as the rest had taken to calling the wolf curling up around him, as the others headed up into the Lions, making themselves comfortable in the small cabins hidden inside. He briefly wondered how often the Paladins of old had made use of the small rooms. The way Coran spun the tales, they wouldn’t have needed to make use of them too terribly oft.

He wandered around the campsite for a moment to stretch his legs, the wolf moving slightly and watching him from where he lay. He found an odd piece of wood on the outskirts before settling back into his previous seat, reclining against his companion and making himself comfortable. He moved to pull out his Blade and start whittling on the little piece, but froze when he remembered it wasn’t there. He had given it to his Mom, telling her that she could return it to him the next time they met. His shoulders slumped a bit, unsure of what to do with himself. Realizing that his knife, which had always been at his hip, long before he learned the truth of its secrets, left him with an odd sadness welling in his chest.

“I wondered how you’d manage once you remember that thing was gone,” A voice commented, causing him to jump.

“Pidge, you’re supposed to be resting,” he snapped, tone a bit harsher than he intended out of surprise. He briefly glanced down at Kosmo, who had his eyes closed peacefully. He supposed that, all things considered, he didn’t see a point in alerting him when it was someone he considered a trust.

She paused in her approach for a moment before shrugging and continuing towards him. “Yeah, well, you know how well me and sleep get along,”

“You two get along about as well as fish and water do,” he said, a small grin turning up on his lips, “from what I remember about what a nightmare waking you up was.”

“Okay, let me rephrase; you know how well me and normal sleep schedules get along,” she corrected flatly, settling into the spot beside him. She pulled her knees up against her chest and rested her head on them, tilting her head to look at him. “You’ve had the knife a long time so it must be weird not having it around, huh?”

“Kinda. But… It also feels kind of good. Because I know that it’s safe with Mom, and it feels like a promise,” he said quietly. He looked at the little piece of the wood before toying with it with his thumb. It was a lot smoother than he’d been anticipating. “Like… No matter what else happens, she’s going to come back and we’ll be able to visit Dad together.”

Pidge blinked in surprise before smiling softly. “That’s really great. You’ve seemed a lot happier, despite everything,” she pointed out.

“Well, I saw a lot of interesting things while Mom and I were in the Quantum Abyss,” he said gently. He then reached back and gently scratched behind one of his wolf’s ears, chuckling when he felt his fluffy blue tail thumping against his outer thigh. “Plus, I finally got to have the animal companion I always wanted.”

“Oh, so he’s an animal companion? Not a pet? She teased, reaching out and scratching behind his other ear. The thumping grew more excited at the affections of both individuals.

“He’s smarter than what is expected of a pet, so it just seems… off to call him that. Animal companion feels like the better fit,” he chuckled.

“I’ll be sure to remember that for future reference,” she teased. She then glanced back at up at him, the flames dancing in her eyes. “So, other than the cutest ball of fluff in the known universe, what else did you gain from the Quantum Abyss?”

He chuckled and relaxed, letting his own eyes wander back over to the blaze before them. “It’s helped in putting a bit of hope in me. Things seem bleak right now, where we’re so far from Earth and any practical means of accomplishing our goals but… I still just have this gut feelings that it’ll all turn out for the best. That everything will be okay so long as we work together and fight on. And before you say anything; yes, I know how hokey that sounds.”

“Well, I think hokey is acceptable in this case,” she answered with a small shrug. She was quiet for a while, letting her gaze wander over to the shrinking fire. She tossed a few more branches into it, causing it to perk back up to a more respectable size. “What all did you see? When you were out there, I mean?”

“All kinds of stuff. Most of it is just a blur, but… It was good. Well, most of it was good,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t pick up on the little bluffs he’d slipped in.

“And it’s all going to happen? The good and the bad?”

“Not necessarily,” he said. She made a small noise of intrigue and he chuckled. “You’re the math wizard. Shouldn’t you know that, with how infinite the possibilities of the universe are, there’s no way anything is definite.”

“Well, you never know. It’s not like I’ve tested this theory myself. And, without having an answer, the best _I_ can do is come up with contingency plans for all the possible outcomes,” she scoffed, sounding just a little bit bitter. It seemed like there was something else underneath it all, something bothering her. He opted against pressing her on it, though, because he’d learned she could get just as prickly as he did over having her privacy invaded.

“Well, I can at least tell you that the future I saw is subject to change, depending on how the situations we are presented are handled,” he offered.

“Oh yeah?”

“I was able to change one of the things I saw, when everything happened with Shiro,” he said quietly. He then looked back at the fire. His mind replayed the debates he’d been mulling over when he’d first settled out to play lookout. If there was anyone he knew he could approach it with, it was Pidge. “There are things I saw that I knew I wanted to change, and others that I know I don’t. But… It puts us in a weird spot, you know?”

“The risk of what all the butterfly effect can lead to?”

“Exactly. So, as far as I’m concerned, I’m going to change what _needs_ to be changed, and hope it doesn’t impact the things I _wanted_ to stay the same,” he said quietly.

“Very noble of you. Hopefully karma will be on your side, then. To, you know, repay you for wanting to look out for everyone else like that,” she said, offering him a soft smile.

After that, they fell into casual chatter about all they had seen since last they’d spoken. He told her a bit more about finding and raising Kosmo, about how he still couldn’t get the wolf to grasp the concept of fetch. She had laughed and offered to help him. She had a dog at home that she had trained on all the most important of tricks, such as sit and stay and beg. Kosmo briefly lifted his head to stare at them, golden eyes gleaming as if to imply he didn’t appreciate them talking about him as if he weren’t there.

That had gotten a laugh out of both of them.

After that, she told him a little about what happened with the Castle of Lions after he’d gone after Shiro; about the code she’d designed to take their previous leader down, if the time ever came. He reassured her that, despite how awful she felt about it, there was nothing wrong with preparing for the worst. Sadly that was the name of the game with war, and sometimes to stay ahead they had to be ready for betrayals like that. It didn’t make her any less of a team player for being prepared; especially when it came to dealing with the Galra and their technology.

They rambled on a few more topics before she slumped against him, dozing off midsentence. He didn’t say anything and, instead, kept his voice quiet until he was sure she was out. He glanced down at her and then back up, his mind calling up another of the visions he’d had while out there. He and Pidge, snuggled up under a blanket on a couch, a fire roaring in a fireplace off to the side and a small toddler, no older than a year or so, snoozing in Pidge’s arms. Judging by the pink and purple he could see of the baby’s pajamas, he got the feeling that they were a little girl, with short strands of hair the same warm caramel color as Pidge’s. The house was unfamiliar to him, but he got the impression it was theirs. And, stretched out on the floor, playing an incredibly passionate game of Uno, were three bigger kids. The eldest among them was a girl, while the younger two were boys; all with dark hair, the oldest boy sporting the same violet eyes at Keith as well, and the girl and younger boy sporting Pidge’s bright honey eyes.

And he could see just by looking at himself, that his older self was incredibly happy. He hoped with all inside him, even with the things he planned to change, he would still get this. To be with someone he loved, to have the family he always wanted… He would give his everything to earn the life he always wanted.

To see what he had always wanted just within his future was all the push he needed.


	24. Philosophical Debate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, debates with alien life forms go over swimmingly for the Paladins of Voltron. Other times… Things get a little fighty. And sometimes it isn’t always Keith slugging it out.

When he was informed that Pidge had gotten into a fight with an alien on his way to a debriefing with the Blade about Haggar’s recent movements, he wasn’t exactly surprised. For as much as one would think that being a Paladin of Voltron would earn someone the respect and regard of the entire known universe, it actually didn’t. Many a time he’d observed alien leader after alien leader talk down to the Green Paladin, as if they were teaching a knee-high child, and then laughed when Pidge would tear down their assumption with one well-timed quip. Normally about they were misrepresenting their technologies practices or capabilities. Sometimes they’d become meek and passive, rolling over and yielding to her without much of a fight. Other times, though, they would see her rebuttal as an attack to their credibility and intelligence. So, when he heard Pidge had gone toe-to-toe with another alien? He figured it was just another instance of that.

He was thrown for a loop, however, when he was informed that it had actually led to fisticuffs and that both of them were sitting in the infirmary, most likely getting chewed out by Shiro.

He headed off to the infirmary once the debriefing was done, curious about what had been said to set her off like that. She was sitting there, holding an ice pack to one cheek, scowling at the floor. Shiro was standing in front of her, arms crossed over his chest, sporting a look Keith had seen plenty of times himself. The older man glanced over at the sound of the door opening, his expression morphing at the sight of Keith. He stared at him, hard, before looking back at Pidge, as if to say, “Do you see what you’ve done? See how you’ve rubbed off on her?”

Keith dipped his head, a mix of embarrassed and avoidance, before peering around the room for the other impromptu brawler. He spotted them sitting off to the side, leaning over to glare at him from around a separation curtain. They seemed to be Dindurian, a planet that they had assisted recently at the request of Kolivan and the slowly rebuilding Blade. It seemed that, a few months prior, their home world of Dindu had been taken over by a rogue Galran Commander frantically trying to gain a foot hole of control in the changing times. Prior to this, Dindu had been an ally to the Blade of Marmora, serving as a brief salvation point for Galran prisoners the Blade had snuck out. Voltron and the Atlus stepped in to liberate the planet post-haste. Afterwards, a few of their more technologically-inclined were insistent in joining the Atlas crew, hungry to repay Team Voltron for their help. He couldn’t recall the name of the one glaring him down but he did recognize them.

Once they had been informed of Keith’s Galran heritage, this Dindurian in specific began adamantly avoiding him. He didn’t necessarily blame them, but it still hurt.

Just by looking at them, he could see they’d been the one to walk away more scathed. Three of their eyes were starting to swell, there was a bruise developing on their left cheek, and there was a faint yellow crust, which he knew was dried blood, around the slits that he had learned were their nostrils. He could see another bruise poking up from under the collar of their shirt. In normal circumstances, he probably would have been impressed by how quickly Pidge had done such a good amount of damage, considering he was sure the fight had been broken up in a snap, but now he was only concerned as to what this would do to their alliance with the rest of the Dindurians.

“So, what happened here?” Keith asked as he approached, coming to stand beside Shiro.

“Pidge and Jaugg had themselves a friendly debate that got _significantly less friendly_ the longer they discussed,” Shiro said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Only because I don’t feed into statements made using sweeping generalizations, pure ignorance, and _blatant racism_!” Pidge seethed, turning to glare back at Jaugg, pure venom in her tone and look.

“Oh, come off it!” Jaugg scoffed, rolling all four of their eyes.

“_You_ come off it! You don’t get to walk around here, talking _that_ level of shit, and _not_ expect someone to sit your ass down and explain why you’re wrong! Or, in this case, knock you on your ass because you’d rather be an igno-!”

“I see that things are still rather heated in here,” A calm voice chimed in from the doorway. They all turned to see a much taller, older looking Dindurian walking in.

Jaugg sucked in a breath. “Sage Hatur… Ma’am, please, take some sense into them! They think I have conducted myself in a way unbecoming when I have not,” they pleaded softly.

Sage Hatur seemed unimpressed, her luminous blue eyes shifting from the younger to Shiro. “I would like to apologize for this, Captain Shirogane,” she said, dipping her head, before turning to look at Keith, “as well as to you, Head Paladin.”

Keith blinked a bit in surprise. “I… I’m afraid I don’t follow,”

“We hadn’t actually discussed the whole situation yet with him, Sage Hatur,” Shiro said calmly.

She blinked a bit in surprise before turning her attention back to Keith. “Regardless, though, apologies are owed, and consequences must be dealt,” she said patiently.

“Consequences?” Keith parroted.

“This young one has been saying incredibly unkind things about yourself,” Sage Hatur elaborated, indicating Keith with a tip of her head. Her gaze then moved back over towards Jaugg, who was looking away in a mix of anger and shame, and her eyes narrowed to a glare. “These are not the behaviors I expect of one who looks to numbers and research to come to conclusions. As such, it is in the best interest of Voltron’s continued success that you be suspended from our research team and sent home.”

Jaugg looked up at their leader, eyes wide in horror.

Keith blinked before holding up a hand. “I appreciate your concern for my feelings, Sage Hatur,” he said calmly, “but I think that this seems a bit extreme. I think getting roughed up by Pidge here is enough of a sign that, regardless of what they think of me, they should perhaps keep it to themselves.”

“Are you sure, Head Paladin?” she asked worriedly.

He nodded. “It’s not the first time it’s happened, and it certainly won’t be the last,” he said with a shrug. From the corner of his eye, he could see Pidge squaring up, as if she were ready to launch herself at him next.

“Regardless of it happening before or likely happening again, I do not think this is something that should simply be disregarded,” Sage Hatur said gently, reaching out to set a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “You do not desire to be treated impolitely for crimes you neither committed nor support.”

“I understand and respect your stance on this subject. Please just consider letting the matter drop here to be a favor you are doing for me,” he said, offering her a small smile.

Sage Hatur let out a small sigh, squeezing his shoulder. “You are a much kinder soul than you need to be. I shall yield to your request,” she said. She lifted her head to pin Jaugg with another strict look. “While I cannot force you to change your thoughts or feelings, I will advise you to keep them to yourself going forward. Now, hurry along. You are not so grievously injured that you cannot resume your normal duties.” And then, she glanced over at Shiro again. “Also, Captain, I had something I had wished to discuss with you, if you should have the moment to spare.”

“Of course. I think I’ve gotten the point regarding peaceful conflict resolution across to Pidge,” he said, glancing at her briefly. When he turned to walk off with Hatur, however, Pidge rolled her eyes and screwed her face up in a small act of defiance. Keith offered her a raised eyebrow, but still seeming miffed at him, she answered him but turning away from him.

It reminded him quite a bit of one of Lance’s temper tantrums, what with how theatric she was being.

Jaugg hopped of the exam table and started walking out once Hatur and Shiro were almost out of the room, clearly wanting to put some distance between them. They paused briefly to glare at Keith as they walked past. “My opinion of you remains unchanged, half-breed scum,” they growled.

“That’s fine,” he answered, completely unaffected. He’d heard that one so many times that a small part of him almost wanted to tell him that, if he really wanted to get under Keith’s skin, he would need to think of a more original insult.

They seemed alarmed by that before glaring again, swearing at him in their native tongue, and then storming out of the room on Sage Hatur’s heels. “You didn’t need to humor that asshole,” Pidge snapped suddenly, voice tight with anger.

He turned to face her and shrugged. “Like I said, he isn’t the first to act like that just because my Mom is Galra. And I know that he won’t be the last,”

“You shouldn’t have let him get away with it, though!” Pidge argued.

“I can deal with it,”

“But you shouldn’t _have to_!” Pidge growled, clearly frustrated. She threw herself back against the exam table, throwing an arm over her eyes, and he outright laughed at the spectacle she was being.

“Okay, Lance,” he teased, walking over to sit beside her on the table.

“How dare you,” she said quietly, lifting her arm to look up at him. There was no real venom in her words, though, and some of her irritation seemed to have subsided. “How can you let stuff like that go? They’re basically saying you’re an awful person _just_ because of what alien race your Mom is from. I mean, that’s just super messed up, don’t you think?”

“It is, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to do it. And if they decide that they want to keep living in ignorance, that’s their decision. The people that matter will always defend me, or be willing to have their opinion proven wrong. There’s no point in getting mad over it,” he said with a shrug.

“_You_? Not seeing a point in getting _mad_ about something?” she asked, sitting upright. She then pressed one of her hands to his forehead. “Are you sick? Dying? On some magical Black Lion peace vibes nonsense?”

He laughed and shook his head. “No, I just… I’ve learned, I think, to only worry about the things that really matter or count,” he said.

“Huh. Sounds boring,”

“Kind of is. But, hey,” he hummed, flashing her an amused grin, “at least it gives you something to do, right?”

She blinked then smirked. “You do have a point there,”


	25. Hoist the Colours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU featuring Galra!Keith and AlteanSpacePirate!Pidge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Minor Racist Implications, Electrocution, Terrorist Acts/ Attacks

When he awoke, his head was pounding.

It took him a moment to remember what, exactly, had led him to where he was, or why the world felt like it was rocking slightly, before it hit him full force. When he shot up, he glanced around to see he was trapped in some kind of holding cell, his body deposited on an old cot hoisted upright by two electrical currents. When he glanced across from himself, there were bars made of a similar matter all around him. The bars, however, shifted and buzzed, quiet and ominous, meaning there was most likely some kind of current running through them to further deter escape plans.

It was clearly a holding cell on a ship.

He slumped back against the wall, pulling himself into a sitting position on the cot, staring out through the bars. Even though the whole place was dimly lit with a pale, green glow, he could see much of the surrounding outside his cell. Through the faint glow he could make out the shape of a door across the room from his cell. He pinched the bridge of his nose as his mind replayed the events of the last few hours in his mind again.

It was the fifteen year anniversary gala of the day Emperor Zarkon brought about the end of King Alfor and the Alteans after decades of war and strife. He himself had been assigned the task of posing as Prince Lotor that night, in case of an attempted kidnapping or assassination; a great honor, to be sure. Commander Sendak had been clear in his orders that he stay quiet and composed, no matter what. There had been whispers of rebellion echoing through the city for weeks. The people were scared and confused as rumors spread of Galran ships laid siege by an unknown enemy. Emperor Zarkon labelled them to be nothing more than a bunch of filthy pirates looking to stir the pot.

Commander Sendak said their opponents weren’t even fit to be called pirates; they were just a bunch of hapless children throwing tantrums that they couldn’t get their way.

The Voltron Elites, as they liked to call themselves, made their intentions known to any they encountered. They were a group comprised of the scattered remnants of races that had betrayed their respective alliances with the Galra during the war, leaking information to the Alteans about Galran plans and such. Once Altea was disposed of, Zarkon had set his sights on ridding himself of those that had brought about countless Galran casualties, treating them the same as he had the Alteans.

“What with the example we made of Altea,” Commander Sendak had drawled out, tone clearly amused, “the rest of Alfor’s little rats knew what to expect. They launched evacuation efforts to save some of their pitiful, cowardly masses; apparently _this_ is what the survivors have chosen to do with their stolen mercy.”

Even with their limited resources, though, Voltron Elites were still causing trouble and making mischief. Due to their name gaining traction and the public up in arms about their behaviors, it was decided that they would up the amount of security for the gala. They couldn’t very well cancel the gathering due to the pirates actions because that would be implying what they did _was_ a threat, as well as saying the Galra would yield at the first shows of resistance.

That was so far removed from the truth it was laughable.

And so, with great pride, he’d been dressed in the customary blacks and purples of a royal heir, and placed by Lotor’s side to do a final comparison. The prince was only a few years older than he himself and seemed rather put-off by the whole situation. “I should think I could handle myself just fine,” he had said, staring at a point on the wall opposite them. It was not the first time Lotor had been hidden away from the anniversary, from what he recalled, but this was the first time they had gone to this extreme.

“It may seem like overkill, Your Highness,” he commented evenly, “but you are far too important to put at risk.”

Lotor had let out a mirthless chuckle at that. “What is your name, solider?”

“My family name is Yorak,”

“Your personal name, then,”

“Keith,”

“Keith,” he repeated, staring him down for a moment. He then chuckled and shook his head. “That certainly isn’t a very Galran name. You should know much better than I how our people treat those of us without the purest lineages. This is all a rather charming front that is being put up; nothing more.”

Keith had wanted to argue the point with him, but instead was whisked away once it was determined he would pass.

Most of the night after that was uneventful and dull, filled with people drinking and laughing and enjoying themselves. He was allowed to take the floor with a few interested parties and he could eel eyes on them at every turn. Around the room, he spotted the faces of Lotor’s generals, all stationed about to help in keeping the illusion alive. Anyone who was tracking typical Galran movements – such as their enemies must be – would be looking out for the quartet. He found it strange that on this, such a remarkable night for the Galra Empire, their new enemy would stand off to the side. Then again, perhaps it was a sense of fear. He supposed nothing could be more frightening to a small rebellion just finding its footing than running right into the belly of the beast.

The night was nearly over when a petite young woman approached for a dance, her eyes a startling shade of orange-brown. They matched the hue of her hair but stood out rather prominently against the pale lavender tint of her skin. He wasn’t able to place what her heritage was, but she clearly wasn’t purely Galra. “Hello, Your Highness,” she said politely, bowing at him.

He tipped his head at her. “And you are?”

“Lady Varek of the Turuzi Plains,” she said, offering her hand to him as was customary when requesting a dance. He recognized that name from the ranking of soldiers within the castle, almost certain that her brother was from the graduating class before him.

“The Turuzi Plains are quite a way off. That must have been quite the trip,” he commented, taking her hand and allowing her to lead him to the floor.

“It certainly was, but well worth it. The city is always an interesting, exciting experience; even more so before the gala,” Lady Varek said softly, a shy smile on her lips. They settled out with the other couples and began dancing. She let him take the lead as they settled in, as was customary, and he was rather grateful at how easily she followed along with him. A few of his other dance partners that night had been too nervous by the thought of dancing with royalty to focus on their movements and stomped right on his feet. It was nice that she seemed to be more aware.

“So your trip finds you well, I take it?” he asked. While Keith himself wasn’t typically a fan of conversation, he knew Lotor was typically a good sort at it.

“Indeed. Though I wish I had more time to explore the city proper,” she said with a small sigh.

“Your parents are against you having some time to take in the sights?”

“My parents are not here, I’m afraid. I was chaperoned here by an associate of my father’s instead,” she said as they twirled, pausing as he extended her out. She looked a bit bashful as he pulled her back in to him, a flash of warmth creeping up his neck at how close she was. “My mother has been sick and father was uncomfortable with the idea of leaving her alone. My brother would have accompanied me, but he is preoccupied with his station as a member of the royal guard.”

He blinked in surprise before humming softly, a thought coming to him. “I will speak with Commander Sendak, if you would like. While I cannot get him away from his duties tonight, perhaps I can have him given some free time tomorrow, so that he can escort you through the city streets,” he offered. So long as his assignment that night went well, he was sure Sendak would be willing to fill a simple request like that. Keith figured that, if push came to shove, he himself could cover for the young soldier so he could have time with dear sister.

Her eyes lit up and the smile she rewarded his offer with made the warmth on the back of his neck spread up to his ears. “That would be incredibly kind of you, Prince Lotor. Thank you so much!” she said excitedly.

There was a bit more casual chatter between them following that, with their conversations being cut off when there was the distinct rumble of explosion somewhere nearby, fierce enough to send the building rumbling. Lady Varek bumped against him from the force, looking up with wide, frightened eyes. He took a firm hold of her, instinctively pulling her closer. “W-What is happening?” she asked softly, clutching at his arms.

“I’m not sure, but I intend to find out,” he mumbled, moving to head over to the balcony. Even from where he was, he could see a flicker outside and it filled him with panic. He grabbed Ezor’s arm as she rushed past him. “What’s going on?”

“It’s those damned pirates! They launched an attack!”

He muttered a small swear before perking up, noticing that Lady Varek had followed him. “You need to go with the others, to the bunker. It will be safe there,” he insisted.

“Please, I cannot go alone,” she whispered, voice warbling in fear.

“Your brother?”

“He was stationed on patrol by the port where the ships come in, I believe. I… I suppose I could try to go to him,” she said, clearly anxious, eye roving around to and fro.

Keith’s stomach lurched at the thought. A young lady like she would easily be overcome by the crowds, or swept up by any filthy renegades, should they have made it into the city. “I’ll take you to the bunker, then,” he said, offering his arm to her again.

She looked up at him with wide eyes before eagerly taking his arm. “Thank you, Your Highness,” she said, pressing in closer. Poor girl probably wasn’t used to this kind of strife. From what he understood, the Turuzi Plains were an asset when it came to supplying food and medicinal herbs but that they hadn’t seen a particularly large amount of backlash from the war.

He pulled her closer to him as they made their way through the crowd, trying to keep her from getting jostled too much. The bunker was actually just a reinforced building for situations such as this. The Galra had learned long ago to be prepared for betrayals and the awful fallout that always came with it. It felt like an eternity to get them out of the grand ballroom and down the stairs to enter the streets proper. Lady Varek clung to him so tightly that it almost hurt.

“Prince Lotor!” One of the other guards called as they walked out, grabbing Keith’s available arm. He stopped short and looked up at them. He couldn’t recognize their face but he wasn’t too terribly worried about it; every member of the Galran Empire’s forces were shuffled around due to the heightened security. “Follow me, Sir; special arrangements have been made to assure you make it to the bunker.”

“Very well. I have promised this young woman that I will see to it she arrives to the shelter. I assume that I will be allowed to bring her with?” he prompted, trying to put a bit of Lotor’s usual calm confidence in his voice at the question. The prince, from what little he’d seen, tended to ask questions for the sake of being polite, even though he knew the answer awaiting him.

The guard looked a touch surprised before nodding. “Of course, Your Highness,” they agreed before nodding their head, indicating they follow. He was led through a small door under a few shrubs alongside the castle. He had seen it before but never taken it, as he’d never had a need. The tunnel was dimly lit by a few oil lamps here and there, the space incredibly tight. He guided Lady Varek to walk in front of him, the guard leading them through. As far as he was concerned, she would be safer with the two of them on either side of her.

When they reached the other end, the guard turned to help Lady Varek out. She whispered something to him as he did, which Keith chalked up to being a quiet thanks. She walked out further, just out of his sight, as he headed out himself, taking the offered hand of the guard.

Only to realize that they were at the darbor, an unfamiliar green tinted ship poised in the nearest spot, with a crowd surrounding him.

He prepared to start barking orders at the guard and Lady Varek, but was stopped when the muzzle of a gun was pressed against his temple. “I suggest you don’t move,” the guard drawled out, voice tight with frustration. He then glanced over his shoulder at Lady Varek. “You’re sure this guy isn’t the prince?”

“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t know for certain,” she quipped back, taking a few more steps forward. She pulled at the strands of beads used to pull her hair back, letting out a pleased sigh as her hair fell loose. Her hands shifted hue from purple to a light peach hue as she reached up to shake her hair out. “This means that Commander Sendak knew what to expect from us. I suspect that we may be able to turn this to work in our favor, regardless.”

Keith shifted his hand, moving to grab the knife he always kept tucked away on his person, but was stopped when something connected with his temple hard. The world went black and, in the brief second of thought he had, he was certain they had shot him dead.

He looked around his cell again. Evidently, that assumption had been incorrect.

“Ah, good,” Lady Varek’s voice chimed suddenly, “you’ve finally woken up.”

He whipped around just as a light flashed across from him, lighting up his attacker for him. She was poised at a desk, her feet propped up on the edge and a small tablet in her hands. She had exchanged the elaborate gown from the gala for a pair of tan trousers, button up blouse with a dark green vest over it. He could see a blaster resting in its holster on her hip as she dropped her heavy boots of the desk and hoisted herself upright. “Altean scum!” he snarled lowly.

She perked up at that and giggled a bit. “Aw, you were so chivalrous before! Though, I suppose that is simply how you Galra are; smiling to ones face while determining where to stick the knife later,” she tsked calmly.

“Alteans are the ones known for their lack of morality, not us!” he snapped back.

Her gaze whipped up from the screen before her to glare at him. “I suppose we’ll simply have to agree to disagree on that front,” she said with a wave of one hand. She then reached up and began shifting through something on her tablet.

“If you think I will leak any secrets to you,” he said warningly, “you are mistaken. You will be better off killing me now than wasting your time.”

She laughed and shook her head. “Oh, my, we aren’t going to do that. We know how stubborn you Galra are when it comes to your precious little secrets,” she said, clicking one final thing on her screen before turning her attention back to him. Her grin had become gleefully cruel as typed something into the keypad of the door, causing a small rectangular shape to appear. She placed the tablet into it carefully, grin widening when it let out a small click to signify it was clicked into place properly. The bars suddenly seemed to snap into an erect, full position, the space between them flickering. “No, I’m just leaving you with this while we finish up. You’ll have a front row seat to watching the capital city burn to cinders, knowing you are unable to do anything to stop it.”

He sucked in a sharp breath as the walls of his cell suddenly became alive with holoprojection screens, showing various points across Daibazaal’s capital. Buildings were burning, there were brawls taking place between the Galran soldiers and more of these monstrous pirates, and innocent civilians scrambled to and fro. He could hear the screams of his people and his chest ached. “No,” he breathed, hand twitching towards where his belt had been before on instinct. He let out a furious shout before charging at the door, trying to tear his way to her through the electrical current. Instead, it surged through him, a searing pain the likes of which he’d never felt before. It was so powerful it sent him shooting across the cell, crashing into the ground hard and tumbling a bit.

The Altean pirate let out a long, amused whistle at the display. He laid still for a moment, body still twitching with the aftershocks. All around him, he could hear and see the pirates, destroying and attacking and looting. He tried to push himself upright again, to try and figure out some kind of plan of attack to get her. His arms, however, shuddered and gave under his weight. So many innocent people were getting hurt, being forced to suffer. And what was he doing about it? Laying there like a lump because he’d been captured!

He should be out there! He should be helping people!

“Enjoy the show! You’ll have to offer me your review once we’re done,” she hummed, offering him a playful wave before heading towards the door.


	26. Tougher Stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tragedy is sometimes unavoidable in life. And, sometimes, that, means having to say goodbye to beloved family members and dear friends before you’re ready to.

She’d just picked up the blowtorch when there was an unholy shriek from inside the house proper. In a flash, she had abandoned the item on her desk, grateful she hadn’t turned it on yet, and tore off through the propped open door. She knew all too well who had made that sound! “I’m coming, Ari!” she shouted as she rounded the corner and skid to a stop right in front of the living room, nearly crashing into the little five year old. Her daughter was standing at the mouth to the room, eyes wide in horror, tears filling her eyes.

There, strewn about the living room, were pieces of dark brown fabric and tufts of stuffing. And in the center of the room, bowed playfully with his tail up right and wagging like mad, was Wink, chewing on the head of whichever stuffed pal he’d mutilated. It took Pidge a moment, completely stunned by the dog and what he’d done and how it impacted her youngest, before she put thing in perspective. For Ari, this was most likely akin to a graphic scene in some horror film, where the killer mutilates the protagonist’s friends and leaves their pieces scarred like a warning. “M-Macaroon,” Ari squeaked out, sounding so completely heartbroken that it made Pidge’s heart ache.

And then, she launched into Mommy Mode.

“Wink! _Bad dog_!” she snapped angrily, marching toward the blue and beige speckled mutt. He perked up, brown eyes gleaming in delight, before his whole posture sagged. She could see the exact moment he realized that he was, in fact, being naughty and decided to bail. As she reached to grab his scruff, he disappeared in a shimmer of blue and silver light, leaving behind the head of his victim. She knelt down and picked it up, recognizing it as Macaroon the Otter, a favorite of Ari’s. She’d named him that because she thought the little clam shell he was actually a pastry.

Oh boy was that dog was gonna get it when she got a hold of him.

“C-Can we save him? L-Like we did w-w-with Scruffles?” Ari whimpered, stepping forward to stand beside her Mom. A few weeks back, Wink had done the same thing with another of her plush toys, Scruffles the Squirrel, but Keith had caught him quickly after. He hadn’t been able to do too much damage to Scruffles and Keith had simply had to re-stuff and stitch her tail back up.

Pidge jumped a bit before looking around at all the scattered chunks of plush parts. For as skilled as Keith was when it came to sewing, even she had her doubts on how he could bring Macaroon into any semblance of acceptable. “Oh, baby girl, I’m so sorry,” she said, reaching over to pull her into her arms.

Aria latched on to her and started full on sobbing. Pidge set the head down and pulled her daughter in close, pushing upright and started walking out of the room, trying to get an idea of where the dog had taken off to. Then, she realized, she knew exactly who to ask; the child that had volunteered to handle training him after the last incident.

“Newt, get down here!” she shouted, leaning into the staircase to be sure he heard her. She started to head back to the living room, to try and figure out what to do with Macaroon’s remains, when the front door opened.

Keith perked up and looked at her curiously as he held the door for Amber and Kaden, who came marching in wearing their respective soccer uniforms and made a mad dash for the kitchen. “Hey, what’s going on?” he asked, shrugging off the duffel bag, ditching it by the door and approaching quick, reaching out to gently stroking Ari’s back.

“Oh, _wow_,” Kaden said quietly, pausing in his quest to stare at the mess Wink made.

“_That_ would certainly explain it,” Amber agreed as she approached, offering him a water bottle. She then turned to look over at Keith. “Looks like Wink got one of her toys.”

A loud, heartbroken wail came from Ari at her sister’s announcement, sending Pidge right into trying to soothe her again. “It was Macaroon,” she mouth to him over her daughter’s head.

His eyes widened before he frowned and looked around, trying to see if he could easily find the dog himself. When he didn’t see him, he turned his head towards the stairs. “Newt! Front and center!” he called, reaching the same conclusion as his wife.

“I heard you the first time!” he called back in an annoyed whine, appearing at the top of the staircase. As he headed down, though, he seemed to realize that something was wrong. “Whatever it is, it’s _not_ my fault.”

“Oh, that’s debatable, buddy,” Pidge said with a puff of a laugh.

He tilted his head at her, scowling. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Go look in the living room and tell me what _you_ think it means, Mr. Sass E. Pants,” she quipped back, nodding with her head.

He walked over and peered in before heading back over to his parents, looking completely unperturbed. “Well, that looks like Ari left her bedroom door open and Wink got frisky. It’s not my fault that she left it open like a doof,” he scoffed.

“I did not!” Ari snapped, lifting her head head from Pidge’s shoulder to glare at him.

“Probably did,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Did not! I made sure to shut my door so Wink couldn’t go in!”

“Unless he teleported his way in,” Kaden pointed out. They all turned to face him, Newt sporting a glare. “It’s just a possibility! I mean, he teleports outside when he needs to go the bathroom all the time!”

Keith looked down at Newt. “Which is part of our problem with him right now. Which you’re supposed to be working with him on,”

“I’ve been _busy_!” Newt whined back in protest. “Besides, Ari has a _bajillion_ stuffed animals! Is it _really_ such a big deal if Wink chews up one or two?”

Pidge could feel her daughter trembling at her brother’s statement, and she prepared herself for a new bout of tears and having to give him a tongue lashing. Instead, however, Ari took a deep breath before leaning over her shoulder to shriek, “You’re just being a _big stinky meanie_ because you’re a _bad doggy trainer_!”

None of the rest of the family knew how to react, gawking at her in pure shock. Ari wasn’t normally one for fits of rage, big or small.

She took in a shuddering breath and, the anger seeming to zap her energy with how infrequently she used it, slumped back into her Mom with a quiet, sad whimper. “Oh, sweetheart,” she said quietly, pressing a kiss to her temple and tightening her grip on her a bit. She peered back to see her youngest son looking rather stunned by the whole thing.

“She called you out,” Amber sang in clear amusement, cutting off and looking away with Pidge gave her a look.

Keith motioned Pidge away and she made her way upstairs with their daughter, figuring she needed some time away from her siblings to calm back down. “Newt, she has a point. If you aren’t going to train Wink like you said you would if we kept him, we’ll have to find him a new home,” Keith said.

Newt’s panicked protest was cut off as she made it up the stairs and started down the hallway. She made a quick stop by the bathroom to grab a few tissues before continuing on her path. She walked down and was unsurprised to see that, as Ari said, her bedroom door was closed up. She opened it and headed inside, glancing around the room in hopes there wouldn’t be more fluff all over the place, and breathing a sigh of relief when there was none. Ari’s little tea party area, though, had clearly been massacred by something; the little plastic toy pot and other dishes knocked over, and one of the little chairs toppled over on its side.

If she wagered a guess, that one was probably where Macaroon had been sitting before the attack happened.

She sat down on Ari’s bed, pressing her back against the headboard, and cradled her close. Ari slipped a bit lower so her head rested against Pidge’s collarbone, allowing her a better view of her daughter’s face. She was still quietly hiccupping and her eyes were watering up, but she had calmed down significantly. Pidge set the tissues on the bedside table before picking one up, wiping the space between her nose and upper lip, folding the tissue over and then holding it up to her nose. “Here, baby doll, let’s get all that icky stuff out of there so you can breathe better,” she cooed softly.

Ari did as she was told and then slumped against her again. “I said something mean to Newt, didn’t I?” she mumbled quietly, tone morose and guilt-ridden.

“A little bit. What he said to you wasn’t nice, either. You’ll both need to apologize to each other later,” she said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She nodded before glancing back over at her tea party area. She mumbled something to quiet to be heard. “What was that sweetie?” she asked softly.

“Macaroon was special,” she choked out, her voice catching. She could tell that meant she was about to start on a whole new batch of tears. “Like how Muffin is special and Waffles is special and my Nanny blankie is special.”

Pidge paused for a moment, brow furrowing as she tried to wrack her brain for what Ari meant. Stuffed animals, as everyone in their family had learned, were a great gift for her. She loved things that were plush and snuggly, and she especially loved the ones she got as a gift. But, as she herself had mentioned, there were certain toys that held more importance for Ari because of when and who gave them to her.

Her Nanny blankie, as she’d taken to calling it, was the blanket Colleen had knitted for her while Pidge was still pregnant with her. Muffin was by far her most favorite stuffed animal; a dinosaur plush that Keith had bought for her right when Pidge found out she was pregnant again. Waffles, a close second for her favorite, was a little crochet alligator that Hunk had made for her for her second birthday. But Macaroon? Pidge tilted her head back a bit as she tried to remember when she’d gotten Macaroon.

And then it hit her. Ari’s preschool class had been planning a trip to the zoo last year, but when the day arrived, Ari had to stay hope with the flu. She’d been inconsolable for days after the trip until Krolia, who had come by for one of her visits, had volunteered to take her youngest grandchild to the zoo, just the two of them. The otters had been both of their favorite spot that day and, as they left, Krolia purchased the toy for her as a memento.

“Oh, baby girl,” she said softly, pulling her in close again. Krolia visited as often as she could, but with she and Kolivan leading the reformed Galra Empire, it wasn’t always possible. Of course that made Macaroon mean something more to Ari, with how sentimental the little tot was. She rubbed her back again and settled in to try and calm her back down as she started back up again.

After a few minutes, Keith poked his head in. “We, uh… We thought that a funeral might be a good idea,” he said quietly.

Pidge perked up then looked down at their daughter. “How does that sound, sweetie?”

Ari sniffled a bit before nodding meekly. “I-I wanna pick where we bury him. He’ll need a really pretty spot,” she mumbled.

“Of course, sweetie,” Keith said softly, holding the door open so the two could head out.

She ended up picking a spot under the big maple tree in the backyard, where there’d be a good amount of shade. Macaroon liked shady spots, after all. Amber dug the hole while Ari clutched to the shoe box Keith had put Macaroon’s remains in. Well, excluding the little plush clam he used to hold; that had been found mostly intact, and he planned to stitch it back up so she’d still have something to remember him by. Kaden placed the box in the hole for his sister, seeing how distressed the idea made her, and Pidge placed one red rose from the garden on top. Newt gave a surprisingly heartfelt speech about Macaroon before they placed the dirt back in place.

While everyone else went back inside, Aria insisted she wanted to stay put a little longer. Pidge gently took her daughter’s hand and stood vigil with her.


	27. Kiss the Cook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge and Keith attempted to cook dinner together using a Hunk recipe. It goes about as well as expected.

Keith and Pidge exchanged looks before glancing back down at the papers in front of them. “So, we have all the ingredients for this, right?” she asked, looking from the recipe pulled up on her tablet to the collection of things on their counters.

“Mmhmm,” he said softly, stealing a few quick glances at the collected foods and the list before them.

“Sweet! Okay, so, first I think we can preheat the oven while we get everything else taken care of,” she trailed, scrolling a little further down. Her brow knit slightly before she scoffed. “They say you’re going to be enflaming the fish… Really? JUst say baked! They’re making this way more difficult than it needs to be!” she scoffed. This didn’t seem quite as daunting a task as she and Keith had initially thought it would be.

“Well, this is supposedly a very sophisticated dish; they have to keep that illusion going,” he said with a laugh, pulling out the cutting board and a few knives to get started.

“Yeah, I know,” she agreed, pulling the red snapper they’d purchased just a bit ago and headed to the sink to give it another wash down. “Hunk made it sound like this would be a lot more difficult for us to do!”

When she and Keith informed their dear friend of their plan to start diversifying their meals, wanting to start with the choice of salt-crusted fish, he’d seemed incredibly skeptical. He warned them that salt-crusted fish was an incredibly difficult dish to master properly for novice chefs such as them. Looking at the recipe, though, it didn’t seem that difficult. You clean and gut the fish, you prepare the dressing, bake it for the specified time, boom! Tasty dinner!

Except that it didn’t go that way at all.

Pidge ended up cutting her finger open while trying to strip the rosemary sprigs. And, trying to help her, Keith had reached out to help clean the wound, but forgotten he’d just been laying down the salt mixture. That had been agonizingly painful, to put it lightly.

And then there was the problem that Keith hadn’t put enough of the salt mixture down before they put the fish down. When they placed the remaining salt mixture on top of the fish, it was completely invisible, which the recipe implied to be wrong. Then, once the fish was done cooking, the layer of salt on top refused to break. It took Keith busting out the meat tenderizer to get it to finally crack.

But then they found that the fish hadn’t cooked all the way through, and tasted like just shoveling a spoon full of salt in your mouth.

The two of them glanced at the mess their kitchen had become before looking at each other. “Wanna just order some chicken wings?” she asked.

“Oh, yes, please. Mango habanero?”

“I’ll take korean barbeque, but you’re open to your choice,” she hummed, walking away to grab her phone and place the order.


	28. Skin Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A part of her said it shouldn’t bother her. But it still did.

To say that she hated stuffy events like this wouldn’t be accurate, but it also wasn’t particularly inaccurate, either.

As far as Pidge was concerned, when it came to this oh-so-important parties and events where guests were expected to be dressed to the nines, she and the other Paladin’s should have been allowed to skip on the suits and gowns. Being in the Paladin armor would make a lot more sense, all things considered. Normally they were there to not only show their alliance with whichever planet, but to also serve as security of sorts. If there was an attack - which, so far, there hadn’t been - then they’d have to run to change into their armor and then rush to the Lions. It was just completely impractical! It made more sense that they just be in their armor for the sake of time constraints!

She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind as she moved through the crowd, trying to find someone to talk to. She didn’t want them to complain that she was rude, and she was genuinely interested. Of all the planets currently partaking in their movement against Honerva, this was the most advanced in regards to technology and battle gear. She had been hoping to be taken in like she had been by the Olkari, to find kindred spirits that were as invested in her passions as she was. Instead, the ones she tried to talk to seemed a bit put off by her approach.

But then she caught the whispers going on behind her.

“_That _is the Green Paladin?”

“Are you _sure_? I had heard that the Green Paladin was a female Earthling,”

“She looks _nothing_ like the other human Earthings! Her physique is completely off from them!”

“She certainly is lacking the grace the others have, isn’t she?”

“She is a female, so shouldn’t she be more interested in conversation about _typical _female interests?”

The comments bothered her, but not for the reason that she knew the others would suspect.

Pidge was fine with herself and her appearance. Her form being a bit more on the sporty side worked well for her. She was small but that didn’t make her any less of a threat than someone like Hunk or Shiro. She could fit in tight spaces and wiggle out of traps much easier because of her size. It was an absolute perk as far as she was concerned.

But it got exhausted having a bunch of strangers try to chalk up her merit as a Paladin and a woman to something as stupid as her physicality.

She chugged gown the glass of alien drink in her hand in three big gulps, pointedly ignoring the scandalized gasps from the commentators behind her, before setting the empty cup on a nearby table and heading off. She nearly tripped on the too-long skirt of her dress and it took all her self control to not tear the bottom down until her ankles were revealed. Instead, she grabbed the skirt in both hands, hefted it up high enough that it was out of her way, and stomped away.

A part of her said it shouldn’t bother her. But it still did.

She scanned the crowd for any of the others, figuring she could go attach herself to one of them and avoid dealing with the nosy natives. Lance and Allura had taken to the dance floor, the two of them both looking giddy and oblivious to everyone else around them. Hunk was off to the side, having started up a conversation with a group of their scientists about the ships they’d recently built to help take the fight to Honerva and her followers. The MFEs were speaking with a few of the other more casual party-goers, Kinkade in specific with his little portable camera at the ready.

And then, propped up against a wall, partially hidden in shadow, she spotted Keith. She let out a relieved sigh and made a beeline for him.

“Don’t feel like strutting yourself for the locals?” she teased as she approached, dropping the edges of the gown as she settled in beside him.

He perked up in surprise before chuckling. “I tend to leave the peacocking to Lance. You know how he gets about his thunder potentially getting swiped,” he said with a playful snort.

“Oh, don’t we all,” she quipped back.

“So, what about you? Have any interesting conversations about the state of affairs? I’ve heard their new ship designs are incredibly intuitive,” he prompted.

She scowled then scoffed. “Nope. I’m not cute enough, apparently,” she groused.

“What does being cute have to do with talking about the technological advancements regarding their travel equipment?”

“_Exactly_! But do you think they care? _Nope_! They’re all offended that I don’t look or act like them!” she harrumphed, indicating the MFEs and Allura with a grand sweep of one arm. She slumped back against the wall. Her whole body sagging, and crossed her arms over her chest. “It just…It _sucks_. They all think that, since I’m a girl, I need to be like the others.”

“But isn’t Leifsdottir more interested towards the science and technological side of stuff?” he pointed out.

“Yeah, but _she’s_ cute. She has, you know,” she said, unfolding her arms to make a figure 8 shape with her hands. She then looked back out at the crowd. “I don’t have the curves that the other girls have. And I don’t have the natural grace and charm Allura has. I don’t mind it, though, but… It’s _frustrating_. Why should something that doesn’t matter to _me_ be so important to a bunch of _strangers_? To the point they won’t even have an _actual conversation_ with me?”

He stared at her for a moment before snorting. “Clearly they haven’t seen you pilot Green Lion in battle. Or watched you repair the shields on the Atlas. Or watched you help figure out a new, complex maneuver during strategic sessions,” he said. She whipped her head up to look at him in surprise. He was watching the others out there, Lance and Allura laughing as he dipped her. “The others might fall under what a lot of people consider to be a traditional definition of elegance, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t charming in your own way. You’ve got everything they’ve got, just directed in different ways.”

She stared at him for a moment before smiling and squaring her shoulders a bit more. “You think so?”

“Absolutely,” he agreed. Then, watching her from the corner of his eye with a small grin, he added, “Plus, if we’re just talking about physicality, you’re _plenty_cute. These aliens are just blind.”

She choked on her own spit before giving him a playful shove, her whole face going bright red. “Oh, my God, shut up!” she whined. He took the shove with a laugh, clearly pleased with himself.


	29. Howling at the Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some more really dumb, really cute domestic fluff. This time with 100% more Kosmo.

She groaned and flopped over on to her back, tossing out an arm and grinning a bit when it slapped against another form, dragging a groan out of them. She pushed up before glancing briefly at the clock, startled to see the numbers “9:15” glaring at her. “Did you already go on your walk?” she mumbled softly, carefully pushing herself upright but making sure to keep her voice down. She stole a glance at the foot of the bed and noticed the large, blue lump of fur that was normally there was absent. Kosmo loved sleeping at the foot of their beds; even after walks, he’d come and nestle back down for a good long while.

The lump beside her mumbled something into the comforter that she couldn’t understand, though she did manage to understand “Too bad.”

“Mind repeating that for me?” she asked.

He grumbled, again, and it was just as articulate as his last try.

“Ah, riveting. Now can you maybe try saying it louder for the people in the back?” she teased, reaching over to lightly pinch his side.

He jolted and groaned loudly, lifting his head to pin her with a look. “I _said_ the weather’s too bad,” he groused before they heard a sharp cry on the baby monitor next to the digital clock. They both tensed before slowly looking over at the black screen, a little green light blinking at the top.

She clicked the little ‘View’ button on the top and watched as the screen became illuminated, a little body highlighted in red squirming around in view. She watched as a blurred figure suddenly went flying over the top of the crib. Ah, so Amber was in a feisty mood this morning.

“Do you think that woke her up?” he asked, sounding completely mortified at the prospect.

“Doubtful; you weren’t _that_ loud, Keith,” she scoffed, tossing the covers back and tossing her feet over the side of the bed. She stretched until her back gave a pleasing pop and then stood. Over the monitor, a loud, miserable wail resulted from the infant. “She’s probably just grouchy cause she normally wakes up with you for your walks. Oversleeping can do that to people. I’ll go get her.”

“I guess I’ll go start on some breakfast,” he mumbled as he pushed himself upright as well.

“I want either a smoothie or a coffee, too,” she hummed before heading out and down the hall. She was unsurprised to see Kosmo pacing in front of the baby’s door as her cries grew louder and more frantic. He knew better than to go teleporting in at his own will, though, which she was grateful for. “Aw, you hate when the baby makes sad sounds, don’t you, buddy?” she cooed, reaching out to give his head a quick pat.

He answered her with a low whine and anxious lick at her wrist.

When she pushed the door open, the whole room was cast in the faint blue glow of the nightlight still, and she could see little limbs flailing in the air savagely. “Doing some interpretive dance there, I see,” she mused, noticing Kosmo come darting in alongside her to sniff at the crib frantically. The sound of her voice cut the most recent cry off halfway through.

“Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma,” Amber suddenly shouted, sounding slightly less distressed.

“Yes, that’s right, I’m Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma,” she said, bobbing her head with the syllables as she walked over. In her crib, Amber rolled over on to her side, offering an almost bashful smile and giggle in response. “Oh, you’re cute.” She leaned in and picked her up, holding her close and landing a quick peck to the top of the tot’s head. And then, because she could see how the wolf was shifting anxiously on his paws, she held Amber down so he could get a better sniff at her. She squealed and patted at his muzzle. Seeming to take this as a good sign that she was, in fact, fine, he closed his eyes and wagged his tail for her.

She made quick work of getting her changed into a clean diaper and then made her way out towards the kitchen, Kosmo right on her heels.

“You know,” she trailed as she rounded the corner from the staircase, “I’m starting to think our dog is a little neurotic.”

Keith perked up from where he was putting chopped pieces of fruit into the blender. “Kosmo’s not a dog, Pidge; he’s a wolf,” he corrected bluntly.

“Okay, same difference,” she scoffed just before he turned the blender on. Amber shrieked loudly in delight at the sound of the device running as Pidge buckled her into her booster seat. “Think she can handle some scrambled eggs this morning?”

“Probably,” he said as he finished pouring the smoothies into their respective glasses. He then paused to peer out through the little window above the sink. “Man, it is looking ugly out there.”

“Is it?” she asked, leaning around her own seat to try and peer out the sliding glass doors. She scowled slightly before getting up and moving the blinds to get a better look. “Wow, it’s, like… almost kinda foggy out there.”

“It could be mist,” Keith suggested as he walked over, setting her smoothie down in front of her seat for her. He then paused to lean over and press a kiss to their daughter’s forehead. “Good morning, baby girl.” He hummed, playfully pinching the chub under her little chin. She squealed and squirmed at the attention, making grabby hands at him. Unable to resist, he unbuckled her to scoop her up and snuggle her closer.

“I suppose so. Just means we’ll probably be getting some rain later today,” she said before stepping away to settle back at the table. She paused when she spotted the empty seat and then pinned him with a quirked eyebrow. “Really? After I _just_ buckled her in?”

He offered her a sheepish grin. “She wants to see how Daddy makes his famous scrumptious scrambled eggs,” he tutted before heading to the fridge. Seeming to sense the look of panic of his wife’s face to the prospect of their baby being near hot cooking utensils, he added, “Or, rather, she wants to see what Daddy uses. Once I’m actually cooking, she can go back and maybe have a Mommy milk appetizer.”

While Keith cooked, Pidge settled Amber in her arms to nurse. In the time it took him to get their breakfast put together, the rain had started a downpour outside. She peered outside as Keith reached out to take Amber from her. “Wow, it’s really coming down out there. I don’t blame you for skimping out on the exercise this morning,” she commented, pulling the strap of her breastfeeding tank top back into proper place.

“It obviously wasn’t this bad when I woke up, but it was starting to drizzle. For as much as I like the rain, I’m not going out to run in that. Or taking this itty bitty cutie patootie out in that,” he cooed, reaching over to squeeze one of Amber’s little feet. She giggled at him around her hand, which she’d been using to stuff egg into her mouth. “You are a tiny mess.”

“Want a napkin?” Pidge giggled as she watched them, reaching over and plucking one from the center of the table.

“Thanks,” he laughed, taking it from her. It was a bit of a fight to get Amber’s hand out of her mouth so he could wipe the drool and bits of egg off, but he managed. Just as he finished cleaning her up and moved to grab her little plastic spork, however, the lights flickered and a rumble of thunder loud enough to shake the house halted them.

They watched as Amber’s whole body tensed at the noise, little eyes wide, before they watered and she started to scream in fear.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Pidge cooed, scrambling to unbuckle her. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Mommy and Daddy are right here, you’re safe.”

Amber shrieked even louder as she was carefully maneuvered out, another slightly less fearsome clap echoing overhead, and burrowed her face into Pidge’s shoulder the minute she could. Kosmo shoved his head up on Pidge’s lap, letting out a loud whine of his own, trying to lick at the toddler’s feet as his own show of comfort. Keith got up and moved over to them, giving Kosmo a quick pat on the head. “It’s okay, buddy. She’s just afraid of the loud storm,” he said, hoping to soothe the wolf. The last thing they needed was both of their beloved small creatures having a fit over the poor weather.

Kosmo blinked at him, golden eyes gleaming as if he understood, before he disappeared in a small, shimmering cloud. Keith and Pidge both blinked, wondering where he’d gone, before they heard loud, angry barking outside. “Um,” she trailed quietly, glancing over towards the sliding glass doors, where she’d pushed the blinds aside.

There, running back and forth like made, teleporting occasionally as well, was Kosmo, barking and snapping at the rain coming down.

“Oh, my God,” Keith breathed quietly.

“He’s _barking_ at the storm for scaring her. He is _literally_ running around out there, _screaming at the sky_! Like, ‘Hey! Knock it the _Hell off_! You are _scaring my baby_!’” Pidge laughed incredulously, gently rubbing their daughter’s back.

He looked from her to the wolf outside. “Oh, my God,” he said, the statement coming out as more of a small laugh of his own.

“Accept the fact that your cosmic wolf is more like a cosmic dog, babe,” she teased, carefully adjusting her grip on Amber as another rumble echoed above them. In response to the thunder, as if now personally offended, Kosmo’s barks grew louder and even more furious.

He let out a small sigh. “Yeah. Okay. Maybe you’re right,” he relented.

“It ain’t a maybe, baby,” she teased, winking at him.

He rolled his eyes. “If you say so,” he mumbled before heading back over and settling into the chair beside her. Amber turned her head to look at him when she heard the chair moving. He offered her a small smile before reaching out to gently wipe the tears off her chubby, red face.

Later on, when the thunder passed, Keith was tasked with drying Kosmo offer before he rubbed his wet dog smell on everything. Neither of them were surprised when, after being deemed safe for the furniture, the wolf curled himself up right against Pidge, letting his head drop into her lap so he could look at the Amber, as if needing to be sure she was still safe. The small tot babbled excitedly at him and squirmed until her Mommy set her on him. She belly flopped into his fur, letting her snuggle into him like a big, fluffy pillow. It didn’t take long before she dozed off and, seeing she was asleep, Kosmo curled a bit more snuggly around her, making sure her little head was still visibly but using his tail to cover her like a makeshift blanket. Pidge smiled and gently scratched behind one of his ears. “Good boy,” she cooed softly.

He blinked up at her before moving to give Amber’s head a little lick, settling in for a nap of his own.


	30. Life's Eternal Rhyme

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How very special are we  
To have on our family tree  
Mother Earth and Father Time

The whole place was hopping.

Normally crowds like this weren’t exactly his family’s style, but this seemed like one of the only times they broke from that norm. He made a small face as he slumped further into his chair, side-eying the extravagantly decorated piece of cake placed in front of him. For as much as he wanted to scarf it down, another part of him felt like it was a trap. Like eating the cake would be feeding into this whole thing. “Ugh, can you ever _not_ sulk about everything?” A huffy, high-pitched voice squeaked behind him.

_Great_, it was _friggin Raya_.

He groaned loudly, making sure to leave his mouth hanging open as he did so it would be even louder, and threw his head against the back of his chair. “Go away, McClain,” he whined.

The young girl let out a disgruntled huff and he heard the distinct sound of a tiny high heel being stomped. “You don’t have to be a jerk all the time, Kaden!”

“I’m not being a jerk! I’m just bored! And you’re being annoying!” he huffed back, glaring at her.

She met his glare, arms crossed over her chest, before turning to look out at the crowd of dancers. “You mean to tell me this doesn’t make you feel at least a little something?”

He stared at her before looking back out at the dancers. “Uh, _no_. It’s crowded and loud and some people are getting really rowdy. Probably because they’re having _way too much_ of that grown-up punch,” he said flatly, wrinkling his nose up.

She stared at him before shaking her head. “I feel bad for whatever sad, miserable soul marries you someday. I really, really do,” she said, her tone sounding like that of a resigned old woman. God, she was so dramatic! She let out a dreamy sigh, her arms falling away from being crossed. “Isn’t it just romantic, though? I mean, just a little bit?” she prodded gently. When he just glared at her she rolled her eyes. “What about for your Mom and Dad? Don’t you think they look incredible all dressed up?” And then, because she could never stop herself, she waved one hand flippantly. “I mean, they aren’t _nearly_ as classy as my Mom and Dad look on the regular, but, you know. My family knows how to step down and let other people take the spotlight every now and again.”

He blinked once, slowly, before looking back out at the crowd of dancers. “Your Dad literally looks like a choking chicken trying to give itself the Heimlich maneuver,”

She flushed and glared at him. “”You don’t know _anything_ about dancing!” she snapped before finally storming off.

He felt a small smirk turn up on his lips before he turned his attention to the crowd; specifically, his parents. He did think Mom’s dress for the event was pretty and that both his parents looked good, but he didn’t really understand why this situation was somehow more romantic than their normal interactions. He could see in the way they were looking at each other as they moved along the floor with the other dancers, how soft and sweet and warm they watched each other. It wasn’t any different than how they looked at each other normally, but when he thought about it… There was something a little different about their expressions.

Then, suddenly, Dad scooped Mom up and spun her around, earning a surprised but delighted squeal from her. He cocked his head a bit, brow knitting as he tried to place what had changed.

————————————————————————-

The whole place was hopping.

Normally crowds like this weren’t exactly his family’s style, but this seemed like one of the only times they broke from that norm. He chuckled a bit and gently bounced the babbling infant in his arms. “Yeah, Nico? You like all these bright colors and lights?” he hummed, reaching out to gently stroke one of the infant’s cheeks. The little guy suddenly jolted to attention and looked out into the throng dancers before them, flailing one hand at one of the figures. Who, from what he could see, was doing some old, forgotten dance from before he was born. “Yup, that’s… That’s Grampie Lance out there.”

“What’s the matter, Kogane? _Still_ can’t recognize the Macarena?” An amused woman’s voice chimed from behind him.

“Well, it can be a bit difficult,” he quipped back, turning with a small grin on his lips, “considering you and your dad have a weakness for goofy meme stuff. Sometimes it all just kind of blurs together.”

“You’re not one to judge; my dad’s told me all about the meme-offs he used to have with _your_ mother,” she continued. She then looked over at the baby in his arms and smiled, reaching out for him.

“The sins of the parent do not reflect on the child,” he retorted, but handed the baby over. Nico let out an excited little gurgle, reaching up to try and grab at the gleaming golden hoops dangling from her earlobe. “I warned you he was gonna be attracted to those. They’re too shiny for his baby brain to ignore.”

“Short attention spans run on Daddy’s side of the family,” she cooed, holding the baby up above her head and then lowering him to press kisses to his face.

“Me thinks the lady doth protest too much,” he drawled, “and is also choosing to ignore her own heritage to some extent.”

She rolled her eyes a bit as she settled Nico in her arms. “Oh please, you know you love it,”

“I wouldn’t have married you if I didn’t,” he laughed, settling an arm around her waist. He then paused to give her a pointed look. “And considering all I had to go through with your dad? That should more than prove how serious I am about my feelings for you.”

She let out a small hum and turned to look back out at the dancers, letting out a small sigh as she watched them all. “I know this isn’t really our kind of thing, but it’s really romantic, isn’t it?” she mused.

He blinked in surprise before chuckling and nodding, following her gaze to his own parents. They were older now, obviously. After all, he himself was an adult now, with a wife and child of his own. Somehow, though, as he watched them take the floor, they looked just as lovely as they had the last time he’d seen them dance like this before. Even with the small strips of grey appearing in their hair - and his Mom’s insistence that she could tell them which child had caused each one and when - and the smile lines and bags under their eyes.

And, in that moment, he suddenly understood what he didn’t back then.

This wasn’t special or romantic because it was a bit spectacle; it was special and romantic because of what it meant to them. It was the anniversary of the day they decided to be together, to live their lives together until the end. It was the day that they looked to the future and saw so much more than everything they’d been through, a light at the end of the tunnels they’d traversed. He knew much more now about all they’d faced in their time as Paladins, long before he was born, and just how much they had sacrificed for the good of others. In the end, they had finally been allowed to be selfish, to have the life they dreamt of with a partner who loved them as much as they loved them.

The look he had always been confused about, he now knew. It wasn’t just adoration; it was the kind of deep love that left them unable to see anyone else in the room. He watched as, much like back then, Dad scooped Mom up and twirled her around, laughing as she playfully teased him about breaking a hip. He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of Raya’s head beside him, smiling wider when she leaned heavily into him.

His parents, he thought, were the ultimate definition of what true love was supposed to be like.


End file.
